# Question
Title: How to set which landscape mode is default (reverse landscape vs landscape)
I have a few different apps that seem to have difficulties keeping landscape mode from going upside down when certain things happen, like playing ads. My phone is always rotated clockwise for landscape mode when I use landscape mode, but will often go upside down as if it expects the phone to be rotated counter-clockwise. I'm assuming rotated counter-clockwise is considered landscape mode, and clockwise is reverse landscape, so in that case I need reverse landscape to be the main/default/only landscape mode. But I don't want it locked to landscape all the time, it is locked to portrait mode normally. Using Galaxy S8+, not rooted.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/advice, though preferably not something that requires changing a setting before and after every time I launch one of those troublesome apps.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Quoted from one of my previous answers:

> Use apps like Ultimate Rotation Control \- with proper settings, it seamlessly integrates with system rotation toggle, and on top of that you can enable/disable any rotation direction, force apps that don't usually rotate to rotate, and set per-app rotation behavior.

Based on your description, set the first options to these values so you can click the app's notification to toggle rotation direction.

Do note that this is a paid app with a 7-day trial.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Found an app Rotation Control that lets you easily set up per app settings to be any direction you want, so no need for another notification bar icon/entry making clutter up there. Works with all the apps I've been able to test with, really easy to set up and see what apps you have set up. It is a paid app with a 2 day trial, but the ones that worked with my apps seemed to be paid apps anyways. This one was the easiest to use/setup.

---
Tags: auto-rotation
---


# Question
Title: how to disable system apps without root?
How to disable system apps without root?

My phone model is vivo x5 max+ and android 4.4.4

I have tried Debloater but it failed to connect (I am sure I've allowed USB debugging).

# Answer
> 12 votes
Provided that you've setup and functioning, use this command in a console:

```
adb shell pm block PACKAGE              # for Android Kitkat
adb shell pm hide PACKAGE               # for Android Lollipop
adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 PACKAGE # for Android Marshmallow and Nougat. This is bit tricky. Some reports its result positive, while others, negative. Also note that, later, you cannot restore the app here. It can only be reinstalled again.
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 PACKAGE # tested on Android Nougat and Oreo. Might work on earlier versions as well.

```

Replace `PACKAGE` with the package name of the app. To know the package name, try any app inspector type app from Play Store, such as App Detective, AppXplore, Elixir 2, etc.

The changes should take place immediately, otherwise, try rebooting the device.

**Note**: stock ROM implementations by some OEMs, such as Xiaomi and Panasonic, do not permit the aforesaid commands to be used without more elevated privilege, and thus, throws a permission/privilege related error.

Revision made wrt to info received from Prahlad Yeri in the comments.

---
Tags: disable-app
---


# Question
Title: System ui tuner not enabling in lenovo a6600
I cant turn on the system ui tuner on my lenovo A6600 no mater what i do. The system gear spins on long press but nothing happens. Can anyone help me?

# Answer
There's an alternative app on Play Store that works the same as, if not better than, the inbuilt System UI Tuner.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: lenovo-a660
---


# Question
Title: Charge & data mode when connecting phone to PC via USB (Nougat)
When I connect my phone to my PC via USB. It automatically enters charge mode.

If I want to transfer files (which is almost always what I want to do when connecting my phone to my PC), I have to select charge & data mode --\> transfer files.

Always doing this when connecting my phone to my PC is slightly laborious, and I was just wondering is there a way to connect my phone to my PC & cause to autmatically default to charge & data mode?

I used to have a Moto G Gen 1 (Kitkat), which did this by default, why can't this be the case on Nougat.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The default behaviour in Marshmallow upwards is to *charge* and other options have to be manually selected

Being an OS behaviour, you can't modify it without rooting device. If your device is rooted, you can install this Xposed module - USB for Marshmallow

> Set MTP or PTP as Default USB Connection on Marshmallow with this app.
>
> Once you connect the phone to the computer and select the USB option from the notification and selected option will be retained for every reconnect your phone to computer.
>
> For example if you select the USB file transfer option, This app will retain that file transfer option for every reconnect your phone to computer.

It's also available on Play Store as an Xposed app

If you are on Nougat, this option may not be possible till Xposed framework is released - see Where can I find the Xposed Framework and installer for Nougat?

# Answer
> 1 votes
If you device is rooted, you may use **Tasker** app to run a command as root to enable tethering *when USB is connected*.

The command can be found here: **Is it possible to activate the “USB Tethering” Android setting from the command line?**

---
Tags: usb, charging, usb-connection-mode, data-transfer
---


# Question
Title: International Time Zones Are Wrong in Clock App
Since Android's integrated Clock app does not offer to select time zones, I decided to find location reflecting time zones I need - EST, CST and MST

For EST (-5 UTC ) I chose Tampa but for CST (-6 UTC) I wanted to choose Washington DC but it has EST (-5 UTC) time zone, which is wrong. For MST (-7 UTC) I wanted to choose Las Vegas because Nevada was not on the list but Las Vegas has PST (-8 UTC) time zone which is wrong.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I'm not entirely sure what your question is. I think you are reporting errors in the Time Zone data in your copy of the Android system.

You report that Android lists Washington DC as EST (-5 UTC), and say that this is wrong. According to a Time Zone database entry for Washington DC, based on the IANA Time Zone database, this city does indeed observe U.S. Eastern Time, so -5 UTC is correct during the Easter Standard Time part of the year.

You report that Android lists Las Vegas as PST (-8 UTC), and say that this is wrong. According to the Time Zone database entry for Las Vegas at that same site, this city does indeed observe U.S. Pacific Time, so -8 UTC is correct during the Easter Standard Time part of the year.

So, I think this evidence does not prove Android's data to be incorrect.

For CST, a good major city is Chicago, Illinois. For MST, a good major city is Denver, Colorado.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Maybe TimeZone Changer will help? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.futurek.android.tzc

---
Tags: clock, time-zones
---


# Question
Title: Are the AOSP Email and Calendar apps dead?
Are the AOSP Email (com.android.email) and Calendar (com.android.calendar) apps dead? I cannot find any information on their development, though they appear to have been stuck on version 6.0.1 for some time. They are still distributed as part of CyanogenMod.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I cannot speak to cyanogen mod, however my understanding is that cyanogen mod has been taken over/morphed into what is now known as the Lineage OS Distribution here: https://lineageos.org/ perhaps you can get more info there or check on the android open source project here AOSP Platform Email and here.

Regarding how to install them, see here.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, calendar, stock-email-app, vanilla-android
---


# Question
Title: How to remove the bottom promo banners in Firefox for Android?
When you use Firefox for Android, you periodically see banners promoting the app features such as sync, themes, etc.

Is there a way one can disable this and get rid of the distraction from surfing?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Try typing `about:config` in the address bar.

After you open it, search for the **browser.snippets.enabled** parameter, tap on it, then tap on the **Toggle** button.

This disables the banners from appearing in the bottom.

---

*Source: Annoying Firefox for Android Banners - SOLVED.*

# Answer
> -2 votes
Deleting Firefox fixed it for me!

Deleted Firefox from my comp too, just to be sure no popups start there.

No ads from Chrome so far...

---
Tags: firefox-for-android, ads
---


# Question
Title: How to use android phone as SD card reader?
I want to format my external SD card (For installing Raspbian) and I don't have a SD card reader on my PC or an external one. Is there a way to use my Android phone as a SD card reader?

PC OS: Windows 7

Phone: Rooted Note 3 (N9005)

# Answer
> 1 votes
I believe there is. I use Nexus Media Importer (though I think it works on most phones with OTG) and it works as a basic file explorer.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.homeysoft.nexususb.importer

There is a free version, but I can't remember what the limitations are. (I have a feeling it might just be pictures.)

# Answer
> 0 votes
DriveDroid is a powerful utility than enables you to create a virtual USB image on your phone, and when you connect it to the PC, it recognizes the USB image, as if it's a real USB plugged. I used this utility to install both Windows and Linux to my systems, and I think it should work as live USB, too.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Sorry I never use any note 3 myself and not sure if this device has external SD card attaching option.

But for almost all android I did have or may operate somehow has standard USB storage device built-in. Anyone connect any Android operated phone with Windows 7 PC over USB windows automatically detects as standard storage of USB type device. Some of phone might ask use about which mode they want to present their device to windows 7 PC as soon USB cable plug-in followed by list of available options. Comin options are MTP , USB storage device, charging only, CD Rom external. In case of CD rom mode choice was maid luckily CD rom having drivers file might appear on Windows. Such way connecting USB cable flowed by choosing USB storage will configures your Android phone as USB devices mean your required USB card reader will ready for you.

Removing any existing drivers of Android including all MTP devices will allow Windows 7 to reinstall required drivers if you have problem detecting phone while plug-in with USB.

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


# Question
Title: How to run app on one device from another device?
Is there a way to run an app (for example Gmail app) on a different device in the same wifi network? Conditions:

1. Two Android smartphones are in the same with network.
2. The devices are controlled by the same person.
3. The user runs the script/app on one device that starts Gmail app on the other device.
4. There is no Internet connection in the network. Just the connection between the devices via WiFi.
5. No root access to both devices.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Use remote ADB.

First connect both devices with an OTG cable and a regular cable (or a C to C cable if applicable), and start an ADB shell, then type:

```
setprop service.adb.tcp.port 555
stop adbd
start adbd

```

You may want to run `ifconfig` to get the IP address.

Then you can disconnect the phone from cables and use wireless ADB. On your controller phone, run

```
adb connect xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:5555
(tap [Authenticate] on the first phone)
adb shell monkey -p <package> -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1

```

---
Tags: wi-fi, networking, automation
---


title: Get SIM card connection info

text:
# Question
Title: Get SIM card connection info
If I want to know if I am connected 2G, 3G or 4G, how do I check that on Android?

I don't seem to have any default SIM-related app on my phone, nor does the SIM setting screen give much information other than APN details (`APN type` says "default").

I'm using FlymeOS 6.1 (Chinese ROM based on 5.1 Lollipop).

# Answer
There is information under `About phone`-\>`Status`-\>`SIM Status`.

The relevant field is `Cellular network type`.

3g if:

* UMTS
* HSPA
* W-CDMA

2g if:

* EDGE
* GPRS
* GSM
> 0 votes

---
Tags: mobile-data, sim-card, 3g, 4g, 2g
---


title: How to fully backup non-rooted devices?

text:
# Question
Title: How to fully backup non-rooted devices?
I know I'm asking for the close-to-impossible -- as a real full-backup certainly requires root permissions. But still there are many folks around not wanting to root their devices -- afraid of voiding their warranties or bricking their devices, or just not having their devices supported by any rooting method.

I also know there were a lot of questions asked already on this topic, and I checked all of them having the *backup* tag -- none covers the entire topic, all just have pieces, and especially people new to Android (but other non-power-users as well) would have a hard time figuring out the best way.

So ***I want a detailed canonical answer*** to the question:

***Not* involving root-solutions, how to achieve a backup as close as possible to a *full backup*?**

Please do **not** give simple one-liner answers like "Use app xyz \[full-stop\]." If mentioning an app (and I doubt a single app would be the answer here), include what parts are covered by it -- as well as ideas on how to fill the gaps it leaves. (And to make it absolutely clear: I know the first thing coming to mind is *Titanium Backup* -- I use it myself, but this does *not* apply here: This question is *strictly about methods for non-rooted devices!*) Moreover, the answer should be as *generic* as possible in terms of applying to a wide range of devices (i.e. it should not be restricted to one device or manufacturer).

I already mentioned having investigated all questions here tagged *backup*. These will certainly be helpful providing details for answers here, so I will list up the topmost ones concerning my question:

All these provide some details for my question (so feel free to get inspired by them) -- but I feel there are still details missing. Also it would be helpful to have a summary -- say, an answer including the full description of "the maximum possible".

A last criterium: While I'd consider cloud-based solutions legit, I'd favour local solutions. If you can provide both: all the better. But some people value privacy quite high (I'm one of them), and thus would not trust their data to some cloud service.

---

Thanks to Ryan, we now have a solution for a **really complete backup** of all apps and their data -- which I didn't dare to hope for! The only disadvantage: His solution only works for less than 10% of all Android users; namely those whose devices are running at least with **Android 4.x**.

So again, I ask the close-to-impossible: **Any solutions applicable at least on Gingerbread** (2.3.x) or, better, even Froyo (2.2.x) -- so they cover the majority of current devices? These solutions may involve multiple tools (try to keep it as simple as possible though; think of your mother to follow your instructions ;)

And keep in mind: **NO ROOT!**

---

To further motivate high-quality answers (and hopefully avoid low-quality ones), I will be a harsh one here: As I rarely do, **I *will* down-vote** answers not fitting the mentioned criteria on one end -- but on the other end, **I will setup a bounty** for the best answer (which cannot be done immediately, but earliest after 2 days).

# Answer
## Solution Available for 4.0+ Devices:

For 4.0+ devices there is a solution called "adb backup".

**Note: This only works for apps that do not disallow backup! Apps that disallow backup are simply ignored when creating a backup using this way.**

This makes use of adb so you have to have the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) installed on your computer (on some Linux distributions: just packages `android-tools-adb` and `android-tools-adbd`).

# **NOTE: This solution will not back up and restore contact, SMS or calendar information**

The options for the adb command are:

```
adb backup [-f <file>] [-apk|-noapk] [-obb|-noobb] [-shared|-noshared] [-all] [-system|nosystem] [-keyvalue|-nokeyvalue] [<packages...>]

```

**Note:** You may need quotes or escape characters.

* -f : the path of the \*.ab file that will be saved on your computer. This file is a compressed file that contains an archive of the data/apks from your device.
* -apk|-noapk : indicates if the \*.apk files should be backed up (default is -noapk)
* -obb|-noobb : enable/disable backup of any installed apk expansion (aka .obb) files associated with each application (default is -noobb)
* -shared|-noshared: enable/disable backup of the device's shared storage / SD card contents (default is -noshared)
* -all : indicates that you want the entire system backed up. you can use the packages filter to just backup specific packages, or use -all for a full system backup.
* -system|-nosystem: indicates if all the system applications and data are included when backing up. (default is -system)
* -keyvalue|-nokeyvalue: include apps that perform key/value backups. (default -nokeyvalue)
* \<packages\> : this is where you can list specific packages to backup. Use these if you want to back up only specific applications. If using -all, you do not need to specify packages.

---

## How to backup your device:

First, you need to enable "USB debugging" on you Android device:

1. Go to "About device" (or "About phone" or "About tablet") section in Settings
2. Tap 7 times on "Build number" row (usually the last row). After that "Developer options" section will appear in Settings

3. Go to "Developer options" section in Settings
4. Tap the "USB Debugging" checkbox

Second, on your PC from the command prompt you will need to be able to locate both the `adb` command and your backup file. The easiest way to do this is to run the `adb` command from the directory where `adb` is located.

In Windows Explorer navigate to where you installed the Android SDK and `SHIFT+RIGHT CLICK` on the `platform-tools` folder.

This will open a command prompt (your window will look different than mine).

In Mac's Terminal you can type `cd`  and then drag the folder **platform-tools** folder from finder to the terminal window and the path will be inserted. Hit and you will be in the right place.

In Linux, I hope you know how to locate and cd to the parent directory of the adb command. You are using **Linux** after all.

From here type the following command:

Windows:

```
adb backup -apk -shared -all -nosystem -f backup08262012.ab

```

Linux & Mac

```
./adb backup -apk -shared -all -nosystem -f backup08262012.ab
## Notice that -all doesn't mean ALL. See the big bold NOTE at the top of this answer.
## You can also include -system and -keyvalue to be able to backup and restore *some* system settings.
# drop the `./` in the command if you are using `android-tools-adb` package

```

(if you want to store the backup in a different directory, include a path for the ".ab" file as shown in the screenshot below.)

You will then be prompted on your device for a password (this is used to encrypt the backup):

To restore, it works almost the same way.

Windows:

```
adb restore backup08262012.ab

```

Linux & Mac

```
./adb restore backup08262012.ab

```

Then you will be prompted for your password to restore on the device:

---

## Now for the shameless self promotion:

Droid Explorer (v0.8.8.7+) will be able to handle this for 4.0+ devices. While Droid Explorer is currently optimized for Rooted devices, this functionality will work for non-rooted devices as well.

Droid Explorer will do full backups of the device and save them in %USERPROFILE%\Android Backups\</code\>. Within that folder is a folder named for the device, and inside that folder are the backups.

Double clicking on the Android Backup file will allow you to restore your device from the backup file.
> 285 votes

# Answer
There is an application called **Simple ADB Backup**.

Simple ADB Backup Backs Up Your Android Phone from the Desktop, No Root Required. Most Android backup tools require root, or run from your phone and save your data to your SD card. Simple ADB Backup is different. The app runs from and backs up your phone's data to your desktop, and does it all without root.

To use Simple ADB Backup, you'll need USB Debugging Mode enabled on your Android device (Go to Settings \> Developer, enable developer options, then enable USB debugging) and the utility installed on your desktop. That's about it: just plug in your phone, launch the app on your Windows or Linux system, and choose a backup option. You have the option to back up your entire device, just apps, all data with or without system apps, or even a single app if you choose.

The app also lets you restore backed up data to your device. Before you back up, you'll be prompted to generate a password you'll also have to type into the app on your phone before the backup can begin, but after that, the process runs smoothly. It's extremely simple, completely free, and doesn't require you root first.

Whilst Titanium Backup is a more feature-filled app if you're willing to root (especially if you want a bulletproof backup system for your Android), and MyBackup Pro is great if you're migrating to a new phone and don't want a desktop as a middleman, but Simple ADB Backup is free and apparently so easy to use that even Android beginners can easily and quickly back up their important data.

Simple ADB Backup was released for free over at the XDA Developer forums. Hit the link below to download it there.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=36499906

Please Note: This is a new application currently still in Beta

---

***Edit:*** Now called Holo Backup. See https://xdaforums.com/t/tool-windows-linux-4-0-holo-backup-full-backup-without-root.2091047/#post-36499906
> 37 votes

# Answer
Technically, you CAN create full Nandroid backup *without* rooting the device. You just need to flash CWM (or, any recovery which supports Nandroid backup) over USB. For example, you can use Odin (Windows) to flash CWM to Samsung devices after going to download mode, all without touching the Android. So, there's no rooting or root access involved at all.
> 27 votes

# Answer
Koushik Dutta (aka Koush aka Mr. ClockworkMod) has published Helium Backup, which should make the entire thing possible even without the need of a computer and USB cable:

*Helium Backup* should be able to backup apps and data to SD card, attached USB devices, Dropbox, Google Drive or Box.

This isn't a "full backup" in so far as it comes to system settings, but it *does* restore application settings and data. It *does not* backup your internal storage (the user files), so you'll have to backup those files separately.

If you find yourself unable to see your backups in the restore list, some of the backup metadata may have gotten lost in translation. The backup themselves can still be restored, but you'll need some extra leg work to get them.

**Edit:** For a full-fledged how-to on the usage of *Helium*, please see How to Backup Apps and Data without Root using Helium Android App (thanks for the hint, Simon!). And before complaining on anything, make sure you've checked with the Helium Wiki (thanks to golimar for pointing this out!).
> 19 votes

# Answer
This answer is not the hint you dear readers hoped for but the result of my real world tests:

**adb backup** is far from complete, on a Nexus 3, both under an unrooted stock Android 4.3 and if run with adb root on Cyanogenmod 10.1.3!

---

A few things are restored, a few not! I checked restoration of some features:

**NOT RESTORED:** basically all the key telephony features: Contacts, sms, ringtone&notification sound, activated input languages (=kbd layouts), ownername (ownername set in first boot wizard is kept instead)

**PROPERLY RESTORED:** Custom vocabulary, wallpaper, launcher icon positions, apps and their settings.

---

These were my requirements, which brought me to the topic:

1. Maximization of Android privacy
2. Physical security to prevent drive by downloads (PDF), meaning:
    * bootloader locked, stock recovery, ADB off
    * even more secure with: full disk encryption
3. Full local backup, no cloud backup (topic of this very thread here)

---

On **Cyanogenmod** the situation was a little different: SMS were completely restored, but contacts and call logs still not restored. Even when adb backup and restore where ran with an adb running as root through `adb root`.

---

So I will try to use a custom ROM, with root (to get some extra features), a locked bootloader, custom recovery, and only flash the recovery temporarily (theoretically possible from the rooted device with flash\_image, but for me this failed too), from which I then do NANDROID backups (or adb backup + special backup solutions for sms/call-logs/contacts) plus custom ROM updates.
> 12 votes

# Answer
A **full backup** seems to be a very overloaded term in the Android world. Allow me to first define it (paraphrasing a comment from OP):

> A full backup is anything that will restore your system state to when you made the backup.

So the first obvious follow-up question is: *restore your state from what?*

* Scenario 1: Your phone is physically broken/lost and your replacement is a different model.
* Scenario 2: Your partition table was corrupted and now it won't boot.
* Scenario 3: Your entire drive (eMMC) has been blanked and it won't boot.
* Scenario 4: You can only boot into a USB flash mode like fastboot/ODIN.
* Scenario 5: You can only boot into your recovery mode.
* Scenario 6: Your phone has been reset to factory state.
* Scenario 7: You accidentally deleted your favorite cat wallpaper image.
* Etc.

The list points out how ill-defined this canonical question is. Each of these scenarios can have a different backup solution. A generic full backup would have to be able to address all of them.

---

The second follow-up question is: *what is "system state"?*

Are we talking about the conventional memory sector state, or the fuzzier *user experienced* state of functionality. Most users will really only care about restoring latter to some degree, in which case it may be more desirable to get an easier backup solution for the specific scenarios you care about. E.g. if all you care about is preserving your photos, a backup might be as simple as enabling automatic cloud storage in your photos app; a full backup would be a waste of effort/resources.

We can divide the full backup solutions (with bootable and possibly different phones) into 2 categories based on the definitions of state:

1. Developer restores
Typically involves using a Nandroid, which is a complete or partial image of the eMMC sectors. Bit technical. Most partitions will require the device to be identical to the original. Sometimes sector state is too much hassle to backup/restore.
2. Consumer restores
Typically file based, can restore apps and data. These are more likely to work across different models, but it won't be a full backup/clone if you care about restoring every memory sector. E.g. a "restored" app might be a newer version, or the partition sizes on your new device will be different, or the files may have different names, etc.

In summary, if you can restore the sector state, then functionality restoration should logically follow. But both can be considered full backups for their use cases. Let the context determine if someone asking for a full backup wants option 1 or 2.

### Beware consumer restores

The current most highly voted answer based on `adb backup` is a consumer restore that can restore apps and data, with a few caveats:

* Seems to omit some files
* Variable results depending on the ROM (e.g. doesn't work on some Sony models, omits different items on CyanogenMod vs TouchWiz).

Though recently in Oreo there have been small improvements (XDA news) I still can't confirm if it can copy all user files like photos and music copied from your pc.

### For a dev restore, you want a Nandroid.

You *can't* get a full Nandroid without either rooting OR using a recovery. An exception is perhaps an image of your SD card, giving you a partial Nandroid. So you have to risk installing an image or temporarily rooting, or wait until OEMs offer better recoveries.

Remember to name your backups with important information like date and partitions included.

### You don't have to back up what you don't mind recreating

A Nandroid typically doesn't include a recovery, because they are usually applied from a recovery so it is redundant. But if your device is messed up and your recovery is gone you might panic, thinking you didn't back it up so there's nothing to restore. But it is often simple to download and then reinstall the recovery with a USB flash tool (e.g. fastboot).

Similarly, if you store your contacts in the cloud, there is usually no need to back them up again. Just sync again after restoring.

Remember, a full backup is not useful if it is too old, so you'll probably need to make regular backups. When chosing option 1 or 2 it is a tradeoff between how much you value the backup vs how much hassle you are willing to put up with.
> 10 votes

# Answer
I'm a bit surprised by the other (complicated) answers. Maybe I've misunderstood the question, so feel free to comment and vote accordingly.

1. By definition, a full backup (including ROM, apps and data) is called a Nandroid backup. Therefore, the question is asking "how do I do a Nandroid backup on my unrooted device".
2. You do not need a rooted device to be able to do a Nandroid backup. Nandroid backups are usually done through a custom recovery (like TWRP or ClockworkMod) which do not always need a rooted device to install. For example, using ADB TWRP can be installed, as per the directions here. It may be possible to temporarily load a custom recovery, thus preserving the stock recovery (and your warranty; for TWRP this can be done replacing `fastboot flash recovery twrp*.img` with `fastboot boot twrp*.img` in step 4 of the linked tutorial). Some devices require the bootloader to be unlocked to install a custom recovery, others do not. Note that unlocking the bootloader usually factory-resets your device.
> 9 votes

# Answer
We can take the backup of our device without using any apps or without rooting our phone.

Android includes a built-in way to back up and restore the contents of your phone or tablet. All you need is a computer and a device running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or newer.

Go to `adt-bundle-windows-x86\sdk\platform-tools` folder and open command promt here.

1. Make sure USB Debugging is Enabled.
2. Check that your device is connected by running "`adb device`".
3. Now execute "`adb backup -apk -shared -all -f C:\Users\UserName\backup.ab`".
4. Unlock your device, provide encrpytion password and your whole device will be backed up.
5. To restore again simply execute "`adb restore C:\Users\UserName\backup.ab`".

I have written step by step procedure with screen shots for the same here. Hope this helps!
> 8 votes

---
Tags: backup
---


title: How to remove a team from Slack

text:
# Question
Title: How to remove a team from Slack
Is it possible to remove a team from the Slack app for Android, without uninstalling and reinstalling the app?

# Answer
Yes.

Connect to the team you wish to remove and tap the vertical elipsis menu. Go to "Settings". Scroll down until you see "Sign out of " in red. Tap it and confirm.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: DiskUsage app showing system data using around 8GB out of the 24GB usable memory of my Phone [32GB internal]
I have used DiskUsage App. But in the grid, I get system data using around 8GB out of the 24GB usable memory of my Phone \[32GB internal\]

Application data is also mentioned separately. I can't figure out by what 8GB is being used. I have 32GB internal memory out of which OS has already utilized 8GB and now another 8GB is being used as System Data which does not include Applications installed and their data.

Please suggest? Not able to see what is occupied in that 8GB?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Just going to chime in here that I also had this problem - "System Data" segment was consuming about 7.5GB of space on my 16GB Moto X. Often this can be caused by a rogue app that isn't cleaning up after itself. I deleted almost everything extraneous I could think of and finally hit upon the solution (for this case, anyway).

In this case the culprit happened to be the **default android Mail app** when sync'd to an Exchange account. I was set up to sync only mail from the previous week, and indeed if you scrolled through the inbox only about a week of mail was there, but on a hunch I deleted the Exchange account and then re-made it. It synced up about a week of mail and otherwise seemed exactly the same as it was before but it freed up almost 5GB of storage space in System Data.

This is Android 6.0 - go figure that a core application would leak so badly.

---
Tags: 6.0-marshmallow, internal-storage, lenovo
---


# Question
Title: Does restricting background data for an app turn off notifications too?
Does restricting background data also stop my phone from receiving notifications from restricted apps?

For example: I go to Settings \> Data usage \> Cellular data usage \> Facebook, then I turn off 'Background data'.

Will I still receive notifications from Facebook?

Note\* I am on Android: 7.1.2 and Device: Pixel

# Answer
> 2 votes
It depends on the app - the messaging service used.

For Facebook, yes, you will recieve notifications since it uses GCM (Google Cloud Messaging). So will other apps using GCM. GCM is a part of Google Play Services, which is not affected by restricting data

Other apps which don't use GCM will not show notifications. Here's a list of apps using GCM

# Answer
> 2 votes
If you're still connected to WIFI you should still receive those notifications. It sounds like you're just turning off the mobile data(as stated on my Galaxy S5), but not the WIFI data.

If you're not connected to WIFI you shouldn't receive notifications because it takes data to check for updates with the Facebook app.

---
Tags: notifications, background-data
---


# Question
Title: Phone no longer recognizes USB connection from computer
Using a Samsung Galaxy S7 (Android 7.0) and a MacBook Air (macOS Sierra 10.12.5), I connect the phone's charging port to the computer's USB port. Neither the phone nor computer bring up any notifications.

I vaguely remember that I used to get a notification when I plugged the phone into the computer, saying they weren't compatible, but I may have opted to stop getting the notification since it happened every time, and I was just plugging it in to charge.

On my Mac I downloaded Android File Transfer, and on my phone I did Settings -\> Developer Options -\> USB Debugging, but nothing doing. Opening Android File Transfer gives the message "Please connect your Android device with a USB cable to get started.", even when it is indeed plugged in.

Anything I'm forgetting, or ideas for troubleshooting?

(As a note, my goal is to move things from icloud.com to my new android device. For example, I exported a vCard of my Contacts, and I want to move that to my phone to then import into Contacts, etc.)

# Answer
> 1 votes
Some computers only recognize devices when they are plugged into the right usb ports. Have you tried using a different port? Also, some chords can be finicky, some of the cheaper ones don't like you when you try to do get into a device like that.

---
Tags: samsung, file-transfer, samsung-galaxy-s7, macos
---


# Question
Title: S7 Edge: Internet randomly stops working until reboot
My Samsung S7 Edge (Android 7.0) has lately developed the following problem: every once in a while, at seemingly random times, the internet stops working - in any app, and both on WiFi and on mobile. Connectivity is only back to normal when I restart the phone.

This occurs maybe once every 2 days or so, and is as you can imagine very disruptive. I've let it update the OS but even the most recent update did not fix (it may not even acknowledge) this bug.

Any ideas?

# Answer
The following workarounds have been shown either to temporarily fix the connection drop issues or provide long-term solution (because this problem has been suggested to be attributed to a bug in hardware that may need specialised repair)

1. **Disabling ipv6 settings**

* Go to Settings \>\> Mobile Settings \>\> APN settings and edit your APN-settings. Disable/remove IPv6 and save it.
2. **Toggling to 2g/3g to bypass connection drops**

* As the issue has also been reported to have been attributed to a bug in LTE radio, changing the setting from lte mode to edge/hpsa mode can temporarily resolve the drop issues, and saves from rebooting device.

*One user has also reported to have sent their device to service centre to get LTE calibration done, I have suspicion that it may be band incompatibility issue)*

Other workarounds

* reseting APN settings to default
* switching SIM cards
* send the device to service centre to get it checked and perhaps fixed.

Credits
> 1 votes

# Answer
I had a similar issue with my s7 (non-edge) when I had data saver turned on. Turning this off solved the issue for me. If it is restricted to certain applications, you may be able to add them to the exception list and try.

The data saver setting is under settings -\> Connections -\> Data usage -\> Data Saver.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: reboot, samsung-galaxy-s-7-edge
---


title: Phone Not Seeing School Wifi

text:
# Question
Title: Phone Not Seeing School Wifi
When I go to school and try to connect to the wifi network (with my Blu Life One X) it doesn't show any of the networks. The thing is that when I am at home I can see and use the wifi network and at school many times I'll see other peoples wifi hot spots available. So do you think this is a problem with my phone or with the school somehow? All the people I know were on the network last year and have no problems but due to an update that came out I had to forgo all of my saved networks. I appreciate any insight that I can get on this thank you.

# Answer
Your phone's WiFi capabilities might not meet the supported range of your school WiFi networks. For example I have a 2.4ghz wifi network and a 5ghz wifi network from my router. The 5ghz frequency can only be seen on iPhones and not my android device personally, as iPhones tend to support higher wifi frequencies than most androids.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi
---


title: Install/Run Android Skype on ARM LInux?

text:
# Question
Title: Install/Run Android Skype on ARM LInux?
I have a Chromebook with an ARM processor. I have installed Ubuntu on that Chromebook.

However, since there is no Skype-binary for ARM Linux, is it possible to use the version of Skype of the android APK, and run that on my ARM Linux ?

Is there some kind of Dalvik enviroment or converter for ARM Ubuntu ?
What would be the minimal emulation environment, if I wanted to emulate android ?

# Answer
> 1 votes
To answer my own question:

Yes, it's possible. Microsoft has release a web-app for skype at
https://web.skype.com

# Answer
> 1 votes
One way to install Linux apps on Ubuntu is through Anbox. It's very resource efficient, using your Ubuntu kernel to run Android apps without emulating the Android kernel or running Android in a VM. However, it's still in alpha, so getting it set up takes a while and apps might crash or not work at all.

Also, you'll need to find the APK somewhere (e.g. APKMirror), as the Play store isn't included.

---
Tags: linux, apk, skype, dalvik, arm-processors
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to run Android applications on (normal) Linux?
Since Android is a forked Linux kernel plus software stack I am wondering whether there are any projects or ideas regarding creating a version of Android that can be added to a Linux system to allow a Linux system to run Android applications (compiled for, say, x86).

Does anything like that exist or would it be possible?

(I don't mean the emulator that comes with the SDK.)

# Answer
> 2 votes
Things have changed a little bit in the years since this was posted.

There are now several (though none of them perfect yet) ways to run Android apps on Linux without an emulator or VM.

1. Shashlik features pretty nice integration with your GNU desktop environment. Lacks Google Play Services, though.
2. ARChon utilizes Google Chrome, and lets you install Android apps as if they were Chrome apps. It's pretty neat, though here too, compatibility is not perfect.
3. Finally, Google are officially bringing the Play Store to Chrome OS. Since this is an official project developed by Google, I believe it should have the best compatibility of the lot. Chrome OS is a Linux distro, based on Gentoo. The bulk of its source code is made available through the Chromium OS project. This source code being available, it shouldn't be too hard to port this compatibility to popular GNU/Linux distributions. Google are relatively friendly to open source (at least compared to Apple/Microsoft), and I don't think they'll be throwing up any roadblocks to such porting. If anything, they seem keen on the Play Store hitting as many devices as possible. They may even build this functionality into future versions of Google Chrome for Linux, or release a separate package. They release most of the source code for both Android and Chrome OS, and they use Linux internally.

By the way, there is no need to compile APKs separately for x86. The apps you write are compiled into Dalvik Executable (DEX) code, which is finally converted into assembly code (according to the required architecture) by the **kernel** to send to the processor. (This last part is taken from this answer.)

# Answer
> 12 votes
Nothing like that exists yet since the apps are not run natively in the OS, but they use Dalvik Virtual Machine instead (Wikipedia). It's somewhat comparable to Java in the sense that it uses bytecode and creates a separated environment for each app. So unless the Dalvik environment is ported to other platforms, they can't be run on normal hardware.

There is a project called Alien Dalvik by Myriad that tries to run Android apps in different environments, but there's not much info on it. Myriad Alien Dalvik

# Answer
> 1 votes
Things have changed again since Revetahw posted.

Shashlik seems to be an inactive project, but Anbox seems to be gaining ground. The advantage with Anbox is that it doesn't emulate the Android kernel, but rather uses Linux kernel features to share the kernel between your Linux system and the Android system.

Also, Chrome OS now has stable Android app support on several devices, but unfortunately, this integration is closed-source with no plans to open-source it announced.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I don't know whether there are projects of this kind. What comes nearest probably is the android-x86 projects that is a port of an android environment on desktop workstations: http://www.android-x86.org/

---
Tags: applications, linux, x86-processors
---


# Question
Title: Is there no option to turn off cell broadcasting messages in HTC Desire X dual sim?
I searched lot on google but I didn't find any working solution to stop receving messages from "50"

I tried these solution but didn't work for me - Is there no option to turn off cell broadcasting messages in HTC Desire 500?

Does anyone really have a proper solution (have experienced).

Also please dont mark this question as duplicate.

# Answer
Yes. Just remove the SIM from the phone. In the message settings of phone, it will show as disabled.

Restart the phone, and check and uncheck cell broadcast settings. Then insert the SIM in your phone. It worked for my phone, so hopefully it will work for yours as well.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Please open your stock "messaging" app --\> go to settings inside messaging app --\> scroll down and you should have "cell broadcast settings" option. Click on that and there uncheck the option provided.

Hope this solves your problem.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Setting-\>call-\>cell broadcast-\>uncheck it (Surely can stop **Cell info display** in **HTC ONE M8** by this way)
> 0 votes

# Answer
I have an HTC 10 and someone just told me this was happening from me to them. This is how I fixed it (oddly, no one else told me they get this odd CB# thing). CB is cell broadcasting or in my case, CALLBACK. Go into your mssging, then the 3 dots (settings), go to GENERAL. Scroll down to the bottom. I DIDNT have CELL BROADCAST, I had CALLBACK.
Remove the checkmarks out of Callback Number for SMS and Callback Number for MMS. This should resolve the issue for YOU sending the callback to someone else. I verified with my person that Im not sending her the callback line anymore. I cannot find a setting if someone is sending it to you. THEY would need to fix on their own phone. If you don't know the person texting you, I suggest you BLOCK them.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I finally managed to solve it.

Go to `default messaging app` -\> goto `Settings` -\> select `Cell Broadcast`. Suppose, if everything is off, but you still get messages, then, go to `Customized Channels` and add `channel 50` (the one that serves me annoying messages). It will be enabled default. Click on it again, and set it to disabled to block the channel. That is it.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: htc, cell-broadcast, htc-desire-x
---


# Question
Title: Failure during official firmware update - phone powered off and won't boot
Phone: Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

**Long story short**: I tried to install official firmware upgrade using `TWRP` \> `Install` \> `.zip`. The installation was going on for a couple of minutes and then the screen blacked out. Since then, the phone does not boot.

---

So, I got bored of my `Android 5` and decided to install a `custom ROM`, but I had to upgrade official firmware before that.

At first, I dove into `how to install custom ROM` tutorials, so I did the rooting first:

I downloaded a `BootLoaderUnlocker` program from the official Asus website and `unlocked the BL`. Then, I followed a tutorial for `one-click-root`, and succeded. Then I installed `TWRP` and flashed the `Recovery` to the latest available `img` for my phone and tried to install the `Lineage OS 14.1` but got `status 7` error, meaning something is incompatible.

This post states, that in order to install `Lineage OS 14.1` I have to have a firmware at least `MM 4.21.40.xx` which is `Android 6`, so I went to the official Asus website and downloaded the Firmware upgrade. Since, I probably had the wrong BL at that point, I flashed the bootloader with `TWRP for Z00A (Lollipop) 2.8.7.3` from here, which is the same website from which `the post` suggest to download a BL for MM (Android 6). I thought, since I currently have the Lolipop, should install the BL for that, just to be sure. Then I started the firmware upgrade, which rebooted the phone into the `BL`, I didn't think, and just pressed `Normal Boot` and the phone booted as usual in the old Android. Then I tried to initiate the instalation again but couldn't (it's supposed to auto-detect the file in the storage root), so I got an idea to just boot the `Recovery`, maybe it will continue. So, I did that, and the `TWRP` showed up (I forgot about it already and thought that the instalation would just continue), so I just pressed `Install` and chose the firmware upgrade `zip` manualy. The installation was going on for a couple of minutes and then the screen blacked out.

Since then, the phone does not boot. If I try to, it vibrates like it is going to boot, but then nothing happens (not even a logo).

I even tried to disconnect the battery: removed all the screws, removed the back panel and manually disconnected it. When I put it back the phone vibrated like it was going to boot, but nothing happened again.

P.S. I tried to boot into the `Recovery`, but that just does not work, and even did not work before the firmware upgrade (I googled, that I must press power and volume up and hold until the logo appears, but that doesn't happen).

upd: plugged into the charger, periodically shows the battery icon on the screen.

# Answer
So, I went to a service and turns out I messed up the `PreLoader`, that boots the `BootLoader`. Sometimes this cannot be restored and costs a bunch of money to replace the memory block, but I got lucky and got the phone repaired.

P.S. Do not install official firmware with programs like `TWRP`, use only your manufacturer's software like, in my case, Asus flash-tool
> 0 votes

---
Tags: custom-roms, twrp, rom
---


# Question
Title: Nexus 7 (2012) Omni 6.0.1 Install failure
I was trying to follow the instructions at http://www.teamandroid.com/2016/01/20/install-android-601-omnirom-nexus-7-2012-marshmallow-custom-rom/2/, which walk through downloading omni-6.0.1-20160115-grouper-HOMEMADE.zip, copying it to the root of the sdcard storage, and using clockwork recovery module to wipe the device and install it. I ran into a problem when trying to install the ZIP file downloaded from https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=24369303960685419 (which I was able to successfully select). An error is reported:

> ApplyParsedPerms: removexattr of system/bin/backuptool.sh to 0 failed: Operation not supported on transport enpoint

Subsequently a Status 7 failure causes the installation to abort. The failure happened quite early (fortunately?) so I am still able to reboot and use the freshly wiped device, but I'd like to install this ROM because 2012 model Nexus 7s are notoriously unusable on Android 5.1.1, which is the latest OS formally available to them.

How do I get past this? The page I was following was supposedly specifically for the 2012 model of Nexus 7, which I have, so I thought this should have worked.

*Update:* Looking at the updater-script, I suspect this is the line that's failing, but I don't know enough about the design of this package or alternate ROMs to understand whether the problem is in the script or somewhere else:

```
set_metadata("/system/bin/backuptool.sh", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "mode", 0755, "capabilities", 0x0);

```

# Answer
Using TWRP 3.0.2 (with WugFresh Nexus Root Toolkit 2.1.9) instead of Clockwork worked.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: rooting, rom-flashing, omnirom
---


# Question
Title: Do simcards leave marks on android phones?
Question: Is there a way that i can find out whats happening? I mean is there a way that i can find a track that she uses another SIM card time to time. Do SIM cards leave any marks on the phone, in the documents or somewhere?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Well, there is indeed a way to get notified when a new SIM card has been inserted into an Android device.

Some manufacturers has it built in their phones, some antivirus softwares have this feature. There are also many apps on Google Play that provide this functionality.

I don't know if it is legal to share such softwares here or not. Moderators can tell if so or not and I'll share some of them. Anyway, Google is your best friend.

---
Tags: sim-card
---


# Question
Title: Xposed framework greyed out. Should I be concerned?
Xposed framework (ver 85) on my device Moto X Play has options greyed out as shown - only *soft reboot* and *reboot* are not greyed out

This happened over last three days when I was trying out some modules , so can't pinpoint which caused it

1. Xposed framework and modules are working fine
2. Restoring Framework from earlier TiBu backup which didn't have this problem did not help - it remains greyed out
3. Clearing cache and data of installer also didn't help

I've come across cases on Internet where this is associated with framework not working properly or wrong framework installed, which clearly isn't the case here ( it was installed many months ago )

So my question is, **should I be concerned about it ?**

My feeling is that it's not causing any problems (Point 1) , so it's pointless going through uninstalling and installing it. But just to be sure, wanted a second opinion on this, maybe with reasons why this happened

# Answer
> 1 votes
I used Xposed some time ago and as far I can remember those buttons are grayed out because on marshmallow (possibly lollipop) you must flash framework files via .zip file. Maybe I'm wrong and forgot something. Are you sure it happened recently, that it wasn't there all the time? However I don't think you should be concerned because Xposed and it's modules work fine (right?). It says "Xposed framework 85 is active"

# Answer
> 0 votes
When Xposed Installer (`de.robv.android.xposed.installer`) can't connect to its server, the install buttons will grey out. Check your internet connection.

---
Tags: 6.0-marshmallow, xposed-framework
---


# Question
Title: How is it possible to export the wpa_supplicant.conf from tablet?
My tablet is connect to a wifi requiring EAP method, phase 2 authentification, login+password and proxy. and It works well.

The thing is i want to do the same for a RPi, but I don't know how to provide it with these wifi infos. Thus, I'd need to export the wpa\_supplicant.conf it use it on my RPi.

Note : I can't root my tablet.

How would it be possible? Thank you (please be explicite, I don't master this field very well)

# Answer
I don't know what are you trying to accomplish. I think you want to get wpa\_supplicant.conf file, just go to system/etc/wifi and there is your file just copy it, it should be possible without root, I don't have root and managed that.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, wpa-supplicant, export
---


# Question
Title: Where are OneDrive offline files stored on galaxy s8?
I offlined synced a folder using OneDrive, trying to find it's physical location on the device storage. I wasn't able to locate it browsing through the dozens of folders on the device.

# Answer
> 3 votes
The offline files are cached in folders using the path:

> `/android/data/user/0/com.microsoft.skydrive/no_backup/stream_cache/userid......`

source: OneDrive local cache on Android

---
Tags: onedrive
---


title: Change TMPDIR for Android shell script

text:
# Question
Title: Change TMPDIR for Android shell script
I am working on a script that will be run from an android shell (e.g. `adb shell`). I have a problem with writing temporary files, as this demonstrates:

```
$ cat <<-EOF > foo
> EOF
sh: can't create temporary file /data/local/shd1v7x1.tmp: Permission denied

```

I want to direct the shell's temporary directory to somewhere that is writable. I would usually do this:

```
$ export TMPDIR=/path/to/somwehere/writable
$ cat <<-EOF > foo

```

but it makes no difference.

Is it possible to specify the location the shell should use for temporary files?

(I know that running as `root` is a work around but that isn't a solution)

# Answer
`/data/local/tmp` should be writable on all Android and it works with that :-).

```
export TMPDIR=/data/local/tmp

```
> 1 votes

---
Tags: shell
---


# Question
Title: How to record two tracks of audio while recording video?
I am trying to make some instructional videos of myself playing guitar and I'm using my Galaxy S7 as my video recorder. For the audio, I have two microphones going into a Behringer mixer and want to take the stereo outputs (Main Out) from that and feed them into my phone's headphone jack. Can someone tell me what cables/adapters I should be using? I don't fully understand the TRRS jack on the Android and how I can interface it with the two tip/sleeve cables coming out of the mixer. Is there a cable that will take a stereo output from one device and connect it to the TRRS input on an Android, enabling both audio tracks to be recorded?

# Answer
> 1 votes
> Is there a cable that will take a stereo output from one device and connect it to the TRRS input on an Android, enabling both audio tracks to be recorded?

No. The TRRS headset jack isn't for connecting a stero *input*. It's for connecting a mono input (the mic) and a stereo output (the headphones), along with some extra cleverness for inline volume and transport buttons.

I don't think the OS itself supports two audio tracks as input, but if it does, the only way will be with one of those mini-mixers that connects via USB, and a USB-On-the-Go adapter. Be sure to check with the vendor that the mixer supports Android before you buy.

---
Tags: audio, video
---


# Question
Title: [Galaxy S8} How to set default alarm sound?
There is no option in settings. I have also tried setting it like in the thread: How to change the default alarm sound? but the method presented is not working for me. I get "set success" message, but still have android default alarm sound. (Even after restarting phone)

I have no idea how can I get around this. I would prefer to use default clock app.

# Answer
When you're setting your alarm, you can set the song, that is one of solutions
> 1 votes

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


# Question
Title: Accessing Network Connections Logs w/Nougat
I'm no programmer and I can't code for crap but I've suffered some breaches when my VPN disconnects. I only use data but I'd sure love access to the logs

# Answer
I think the radio logs would help and maybe just a standard logcat.

First, you must have ADB installed on your computer.

You must have ADB Debugging enabled on your device.

Plug your device into your computer.

Open an elevated command prompt.

Check to see if your device is seen with the command:

adb devices

Your device should ask you allow usb debugging with an RSA key click o.k.

Once it is seen then throw this command to get the radio logs:

adb logcat -b radio -v time -d \> logcat\_radio.log

That will create a text of the radio logs on your computer.

As for the standard logcat then just throw this command. The -v long part will give you the most info. It will put a text on your desktop:

With Windows:

adb logcat -v long \> %userprofile%\desktop\logcat.txt

Or with Linux:

adb logcat -v long \> ~/Desktop/logcat.txt
> 0 votes

---
Tags: stock-android
---


title: Read a .txt file on Asus K013 Tablet

text:
# Question
Title: Read a .txt file on Asus K013 Tablet
Up until yesterday I was able to read imported .txt files with the resident File Manager. The files were imported over USB direct to the root directory of the internal SD card via copy-paste. Now it won't open the files, giving an error saying "open file failed".

I didn't knowingly change anything. There's no way to uninstall the file manager, no way to update it, it's embedded in the tablet which is really frustrating. I deleted and imported the files again and still get the same error. I called Asus tech support and they weren't able to help other than tell me to download another file manager. I downloaded Tetra Free but it comes back with a text box asking me "Open with" but no options are displayed.

I'd really like to use the resident File Manager. Any ideas out there what I can do?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Have you tried "Droidedit"? It is an app on playstore that is used by programmers to code but it can read your txt files.. I use it when I code batch files...

OPTIONAL: Smanager, Root Browser, WPS office

Good luck! :)

---
Tags: file-management
---


# Question
Title: How to report a contact as spam in Whatsapp?
I received a message from a new phone number about some advertising information. When I opened the message I saw "Report Spam" option to report the spam to whatsapp. However once I replied to that message to not to send anymore ads to me, the option for reporting that contact as spam is not visible.

In the menu there is an option to block that contact. However, I feel that blocking a contact is personal choice of an user of whatsapp. And blocking the contact is different from reporting the contact as a spammer right? Or Does the "Block" and "Report Spam" option does the same job?

I haven't added that contact in my phone yet. But I want to report that number as spam to whatsapp. Now that Report Spam option is gone, Is there any method to report a contact as spam even after replying to that contact?

# Answer
> 0 votes
After replying to the contact, the option still gets invisible. But in the menu you can still go and report the contact and block it which reports as spam and blocks it.

* Open contact which you replied and want to mark as spam.
* Open menu, and press "More" and press "Block" option
* There will be three options "Block", "Cancel" and "Report and Block". Press the report and block option to mark the contact as spam and also block it.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Try this:

Don't save the contact and delete the conversation. If the contact messages you again, the option to report as spam and block should technically show up again.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can do one of two things:

1. Hold your finger on the Spam-chat, and press the crossed-out speaker button at the top. It does not block it, but it mutes it.
2. Go onto the Spam-chat, tap the menu icon (top right), tap more, then tap block.

Then to report it, you can either contact WhatsApp, or just hope for the best. They removed report spam because, ironically, people were spamming it.

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop, whatsapp-messenger, motorola-moto-g2, spam
---


# Question
Title: How can I delete synchronized Google data? (contacts, app data etc)
Apparently Google synchronized various data without my explicit permission. I don't want Google (and any parties that will ever have access to their data) to fetch any of my personal data without me allowing it!

Now I would like to at least transmit to them to delete it. How can I do that? I didn't find anything in the Google Dashboard. And there's no option to delete under Settings-\>Accounts-\>Google where I expected to find such a setting.

# Answer
1. Back up your contacts on phone using any app from play store ( see Restore: Any Solution?)
(also note the contacts app has an export and import function built-in, so you won't necessarily need any 3rd party app for that)
2. Do the same for other synchronized data you want to keep (e.g. calendar; no built-in solution here, but you might pick an app from Izzy's list)
3. Disable Google Sync on your phone Setting → Accounts → Google including Gmail ( on Marshmallow, may vary on other versions)
4. Go to https://www.google.com/contacts/u/0/?cplus=1#contacts and select all for deletion
5. Repeat that for other affected data (calendars etc.)

Remove Gmail account from your phone and use web version of Gmail from Chrome or any other browser to prevent Gmail contacts getting synced again ( In earlier Android versions you could selectively stop contacts from syncing but I have noticed that contacts sync even if you specifically don't want them to )

If you disable backup (under settings) - none of the apps you installed will be backed up adding to cutting off from Google.

To prevent the mishap in future times, see e.g. How to prevent Google from “synchronizing” my personal data after a factory-reset, adding a new Google account or software updates?
> 2 votes

---
Tags: sync, google, privacy, delete
---


title: Power button long press screen

text:
# Question
Title: Power button long press screen
On android devices, when you hold the power button for a couple of seconds, a screen pops up with options like flight mode, silent mode, restart, power off. Is there a name for this screen?

# Answer
> 0 votes
The menu you get when long press power button is called "power button menu" or "power menu"

---
Tags: screen
---


# Question
Title: Can i connect via adb to tablet that is stuck on welcome screen and won't boot?
I am tring to connect via adb to tablet that is stuck on welcome screen and doesn't want to boot. If i run 'adb devices' i get this:

```
E:\minimal_adb_fastboot_1.4.1_portable>adb.exe devices
List of devices attached
* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
0123456789ABCDEF        unauthorized

```

And if i try to connect i get this:

```
E:\minimal_adb_fastboot_1.4.1_portable>adb.exe connect 192.168.100.13
unable to connect to 192.168.100.13:5555: cannot connect to 192.168.100.13:5555: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond. (10060)

```

Is it possible to connect to the device if the operating system is not fully loaded?

# Answer
> 0 votes
It is possible to connect to the device through adb when it is stuck on welcome screen or even when it is showing boot animation. The problem in your case is that your device has not authorized the connection. Under normal circumstances, when you connect through adb a dialog is shown on the device for user's confirmation to proceed. Until the user agrees, you can't do anything good with adb. And since you're stuck on welcome screen, I see no way to agree to the dialog.

That been said, if you can *somehow* manage to flash a compatible custom recovery you can pretty much salvage all of your data. You might also be able to solve this *adb unauthorized* issue.

---
Tags: adb
---


# Question
Title: how to mount /system as read/write in android?
cannot mount /system in android with following command, anyone has a solution for this?

```
root@hwG7-UL20:/ # mount -o rw,remount,rw /system
mount: Invalid argument

255|root@hwG7-UL20:/ # mount -o remount rw /system
mount: Invalid argument

root@hwG7-UL20:/ # mount|grep system
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system /system ext4 ro,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0

```

the full output for mount is:

```
255|root@hwG7-UL20:/ # mount
rootfs / rootfs ro,relatime 0 0
tmpfs /dev tmpfs rw,seclabel,nosuid,relatime,size=970220k,nr_inodes=155384,mode=755 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts rw,seclabel,relatime,mode=600 0 0
proc /proc proc rw,relatime 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs rw,seclabel,relatime 0 0
selinuxfs /sys/fs/selinux selinuxfs rw,relatime 0 0
none /acct cgroup rw,relatime,cpuacct 0 0
none /sys/fs/cgroup tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,size=970220k,nr_inodes=155384,mode=750,gid=1000 0 0
none /sys/fs/cgroup/memory cgroup rw,relatime,memory 0 0
none /dev/frz cgroup rw,relatime,freezer 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/asec tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,size=970220k,nr_inodes=155384,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/obb tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,size=970220k,nr_inodes=155384,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
none /dev/cpuctl cgroup rw,relatime,cpu 0 0
adb /dev/usb-ffs/adb functionfs rw,relatime 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/log /log vfat rw,nosuid,nodev,relatime,uid=1000,gid=1007,fmask=0007,dmask=0007,allow_utime=0020,codepage=437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,errors=remount-ro 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system /system ext4 ro,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata /data ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,relatime,noauto_da_alloc,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/cache /cache ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/persist /persist ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/modem /firmware vfat ro,relatime,uid=1000,gid=1000,fmask=0337,dmask=0227,codepage=437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=lower,errors=remount-ro 0 0
/data/media /mnt/shell/emulated sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,relatime,uid=1023,gid=1023 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/cust /cust ext4 ro,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0

```

thanks a lot!

# Answer
> 10 votes
Solution is simple. To remount a mounted system you need to have root privileges. Do an su. You will enter root mode. Then run the below command. It will work, I did it many a times.

So here are the steps:

```
 adb shell
 su
 mount -o rw,remount -t ext4 /system

```

Edit: Found a better solution

From host machine(Linux or windows PC), execute the following commands.

```
>> adb root
>> adb remount

```

remount will by default remount the /system partition with rw, if you have the permissions.

Note 1: To do su or adb root, your device must be rooted and have su executable on it. When you do an su, if it is executed properly, your terminal prompt will change from $ to #. Thanks..

Note 2: In recent mobiles, few of acer and samsung that i know, Security has been tightened, and even after rooting the phone, adb remount wouldn't work. As of i know, there is no solution available for it so far.

# Answer
> 3 votes
see this related articles here and stack exchange answer here

Basically

1. You need root
2. Better to have adb secure apk installed
3. Check how the /system partition is mounted as read-only (ro), In particular **note the device**

```
# mount | grep system
/dev/block/stl12 /system ext4 ro,relatime,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0

```
4. Then remount that as /system

```
# mount -o rw,remount /dev/block/stl12 /system

```
5. Finally, you can confirm it

```
# mount | grep system
/dev/block/stl12 /system ext4 rw,relatime,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0

```

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you are root, you can download ES File Explorer from the Play Store, press the 3-Lined Menu icon in the top left. Next, scroll down until you see Root Explorer. Press and hold for 2-3 seconds. A menu should appear. Press "Mount R/W". Put the dot for 'system' in the RW section. A reboot may be necessary.

---
Tags: root-access, mount, system
---


# Question
Title: How to prevent Google from "synchronizing" my personal data after a factory-reset, adding a new Google account or software updates?
It seems that after a factory-reset, whenever a new Google account is enabled on a device and potentially after some software updates sync will be enabled again even if it was turned off in the Android settings before any personal data was loaded onto the device.

How can this be prevented?

# Answer
The approach(es) I'm using:

* don't use a Google account at all (if really needed, Playstore can be accessed via e.g. YalpStore – and instead of GMS I use microG anyway). As that's not practicable for some folks:
* before adding the Google account, make sure you've prepared a different "account storage", made it the default and have all your data (contacts, calendars) in there. Examples for that:
    + DAVDroid with some self-hosted server (e.g. ownCloud, Nextcloud, Baïkal …)
    + "Device storage". Either your device/ROM supports that out-of-the-box, or you've got to use some helpers like Offline Calendar for calendars or MyLocalAccount for contacts.

I've personally made very good experiences with *DAVDroid*. Google Sync never touched its data.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Some things I thought about were:

* Going into offline mode before doing any of the above: but enabling Internet could be done by default after these.
* Installing the NetGuard firewall and configure it to start automatically: but the app could be disabled or take too long to start up. And it doesn't help with factory-resets.
* Going into a remote area where there's no mobile Internet: impractical.
* Somehow encasing or modifying the phone to be able to prevent it from Internet access and going into Offline-mode afterwards: likely impractical.

But I guess the best solution is the following:

* Removing the SIM card before doing any of these and turning off one's WLAN router (or going to a place without WLAN access) before doing any of these: somewhat impractical but probably the best solution.

+ It might not be possible to remove the SIM card during any of these as one would need to remove the battery or SD card during phone operation.
    I think one should also remove encrypted SD cards during any of these.

After doing this one needs to go into offline mode, disable "synchronization" settings (including in all apps such as messengers) and install the apparently only non-root open source firewall for Android: NetGuard.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: updates, sync, factory-reset, google, privacy
---


# Question
Title: lineageOS: cannot use internal SD after factory reset: "Failed to find root" (peregrine)
I have a Moto G 4G (LTE) peregrine which worked fine with the latest LineageOS 14.1. + twrp-3.1.1-0. Then i made a factory reset because i wanted to gift it to my mother.

After that, no app could access the **INTERNAL** SD card for storing eg. pictures or downloads. When you open the "Files" app, it crashes immediately. Then logcat shows the output here: https://pastebin.com/R2wBL0W8

I tried the following to no avail:

* reset with formating data, cache, etc (factory reset)
* reset with formating EVERYTHING, including /system, then reflashing lineage-14.1-20170811-nightly-peregrine-signed.zip and open\_gapps-arm-7.1-nano-20170813.zip
* reset with formating EVERYTHING, including /system, then reflashing some other 7.1 ROM found here in the forum (cannot remember which)
* reset with formating EVERYTHING, including /system, then reflashing the original ROM XT1039\_Retail\_Germany\_51\_Untouched.zip

the original ROM was rather bad because the keyboard kept crashing and it was totally unusable. still no access to the internal SD card.

* messing with the directory structure in LineageOS:
* 1. /sdcard is a softlink to /storage/self/primary
* 2. /storage/self/primary is a softlink to /mnt/user/0/primary
* 3. /mnt/user/0/primary doesn't exist, it only goes as far as /mnt/user/0

so i tried different scripts from this thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2211109 to create /mnt/user/0/primary at boot, which all didn't work.

it seems LOS 14.1 cannot run init scripts or user init scripts or whatever. it didn't work.

also, the external SD card slot isn't reliable anymore, so that's out of the question as well.

I'm rather stuck! can anybody help me? any help is appreciated!

**Thank you very much!**

# Answer
Thank you very much, @acejavelin! The solution was to format /data with ext4 instead of f2fs:

connect with adb while in TRWP, get the device name for /data, umount it, format with ext4, mount it again

```
df -h
umount /data
make_ext4fs /dev/block/mmcblk0p36
mount /data/

```

Then reboot
> 1 votes

---
Tags: lineageos
---


# Question
Title: access file when I am connected to his wi-fi network
I have an andriod device.Can I access files of another android device ? I am connected to his wi-fi network. if yes how??

# Answer
There is a plethora of apps that are designed to do just that. Search the play store for “file sharing” and just pick one. Install it on both devices and you're in business.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, networking, lan
---


title: Group Admin kicked out of own group

text:
# Question
Title: Group Admin kicked out of own group
Why does Whatsapp kick me out of group of whcih i am admin and other groups in am in. I changed from Samsung S4 to J3. And how can i restore my previous backups?

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you tried to change your phone number of your whatsapp account, whatsapp recognises your account as a different from initial one. Your account therefore gets considered as not being among the group members.

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to backup and restore an app with data via ADB?
Basically, I want to install an app with my settings already configured to a bunch of phones.

My thinking was

1. Install app on phone 1
2. Configure
3. Dump app and Data to PC
4. ADB app and data to phone 2
5. Repeat step 4

I would rather not root, but it's a possibility.

# Answer
> 30 votes
The answer is: It depends. It's the way supposed to work:

```
adb backup -f myapp.ab -apk com.myapp # backup on one device
adb restore myapp.ab                  # restore to the same or any other device

```

But an app can "opt out of Backup" declaring `ALLOW_BACKUP:FALSE` (see: adb backup not working for certain app), in which case (without root powers) all you get is a 41 byte (or in some cases 0 byte) file with the backup header but no contents.

---
Tags: adb, apk
---


title: Is it safe to delete nvram folder?

text:
# Question
Title: Is it safe to delete nvram folder?
I've got a Mediatek based phone (Meizu 7 pro plus) and I've lost the IMEI2 number. I mean that it is null into phone settings, but filled when I do `*#06#`.

I've tried many things, such as:

* A Factory Reset and wipe out data.
* Install an older official ROM (and wipe out data).

But each time:

1. When I use the phone for the first time (just after wiping it out, or flashing), the IMEI2 is filled and I can call, SMS, etc. as long as I don't restart the phone.
2. If I restart the phone (no matter how many times or the SIM slot I'm using), the IMEI2 is null and I can no longer use the mobile network.

I've tried to use softwares claiming to change IMEI numbers, but they doen't work.

I've tried to set it with the engineering mode (send AT+ command), but it refuses saying that the operation is not allowed on a "userbuild" (and yes, I've tried to insert spaces at many places between or after some symbols).

I've seen people recommending to delete the whole nvram folder (on many sources and people replying back that it worked for them). But I don't know what is the purpose of that folder (I do know what is a non volatile RAM, but I have no clue of the impact of deleting it on Android).

# Answer
> 1 votes
After a backup, I tried to delete the nvram folder (via `adb root` ; `adb shell` ; `su -` ; `mv /data/nvram somethingelse`). I do confirm that this folder is created from scratch when you reboot the device.

So the answer is yes, it is safe to delete the folder.

---
Tags: imei, mediatek
---


# Question
Title: WhatsApp disappears in Ultra Power Saving Mode
I just bought a Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro. Not sure what I did on the phone, when I change it to Ultra Power Saving Mode, WhatsApp disappears and I'm unable to use it. It worked well before but not sure why it disappeared suddenly.

I already removed and re-install WhatsApp on my phone but it didn't help.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can still use WhatsApp.

Just go to the Gallery, select any photo to share, and then you will get 3 options: one of them is WhatsApp. Just go ahead and select any contact. When WhatsApp is about to send the photo, click on the upper left-hand corner WhatsApp back button.

Then you will be able to use WhatsApp without any problem. Just remember not to clear your recent apps. If you clear that part, then you have to do the same processes again.

---
Tags: samsung, whatsapp-messenger, battery-saver
---


# Question
Title: How to prevent apps from using WiFi network?
I would like to prevents all app except one (which I use it in foreground) to use WiFi network.

The phone is not rooted so the root firewall are not suitable, and also I don't want to use firewall which create VPN connection.

I have tried how-to-restrict-background-data-for-metered-wi-fi-networks-on-android but when I check the network traffic of the device it contains closed app traffic also.

# Answer
In the place described on the linked page¹ you can mark selected APs to be dealt with as if they were "mobile networks" – i.e. "background data restrictions" which usually apply to mobile networks only would be applied to those as well.

In order for that to have any effect, you either need to toggle the "background data" setting – or limit background data for those apps which should not use them. The latter can be done in *Settings › Data Usage* below "mobile data limit", where you first need to set a global limit (can be some "phantom value", i.e. very high). Then walk the apps below that and tick their "limit background data" setting.

I'm not 100% sure what falls into background data – but roughly it should be what an app does without your explicitly telling so. A.o. that's "background syncing" and similar "intervall stuff" – but definitely nothing you'd have to setup manually, like loading a page in your browser.

---

¹ Nougat (Android 7) and up: *Settings › Data Usage › Network Restrictions*
below that: *Settings › Data Usage,* tap "More" (or the 3-dot overflow-menu) › *Restrict Networks*
> 1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, background-data
---


title: Sound whitelist

text:
# Question
Title: Sound whitelist
I really hate it that every new app (mostly games) that I install, thinks it has a right to make noise. Just about every game I ever installed comes with audio enabled by default.

This is annoying for two reasons:

* It makes noise if I forgot to disable global sound, which sucks if I am in public transport or any other environment where smartphone noises are unacceptable
* If I am listening to music on my phone it gets interrupted until I disable the app's sound and restart the music

Disabling sound globally is not a good solution either, because then I have to enable it again every time I open an app that I want to have sound, e.g. music or Youtube.

Is there a way (e.g. an app, preferably without root) to have a whitelist of apps that are allowed to have sound while every other app's sound is muted by default?

I am currently running Android 6 but my phone has upgrades up to 7.1.1 (and 8 scheduled), so any solution that works for any of these versions would be good.

# Answer
> 1 votes
First, let's discuss some basic understanding of Android's audio frameworks.

In Android, there are a limited number of audio streams available via the AudioManager class. These audio streams are:

```
STREAM_ALARM
STREAM_DTMF
STREAM_MUSIC
STREAM_NOTIFICATION
STREAM_RING
STREAM_SYSTEM
STREAM_VOICE_CALL
STREAM_ACCESSIBILITY  (added in API 26)

```

Like *acejavelin* said in their comment, playing audio doesn't require a permission. Developers are responsible for using the appropriate stream to deliver sounds.

> By default, pressing the volume control modifies the volume of the active audio stream. If your app isn't currently playing anything, hitting the volume keys adjusts the ringer volume.

Both games and music apps use `STREAM_MUSIC`.

Without rooting your phone, I don't see a way to selectively allow/deny apps from accessing audio streams.

There are a few best practices and guidelines for developers to follow when using audio streams outlined here. Unfortunately, I don't think they satisfy your exact needs at the level you desire.

---
Tags: audio, automation
---


# Question
Title: Android Device Monitor does not list Application for events?
I'm worried about some activities showing up in logcat, but the "Application" field is empty on every entry. Is there some way to get this populated?

WalletGuns and GnsSdk are related, but I can't identify what app is throwing the errors.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I know it's not very explicit, but for production ROMs, applications will need to have set the `debuggable` attribute in their Android Manifest to `true`.

```
<application android:debuggable="true"
   ... />

```

Otherwise, no Application tag will appear.

So, probably, the developers for the apps in question have either ignored the attribute (default is false), or specified the attribute as false explicitly.

---
Tags: logging, resource-monitoring
---


# Question
Title: How to transfer VCF file between two phones?
Does it require a cable between an old and a new Android phone to import a VCF file on new phone?

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can import contacts (in .vcf format) from another phone by a number of different methods but a cable between the two phones is the least likely of all.

On my phone, contacts can be backed up and restored to and from an SD card. One could backup to the SD, pop it out, put it in the new phone and restore the contacts from there.

Alternately, there are many apps and services that use cloud storage, networks, Wifi Direct, bluetooh or NFC to port contacts from one phone to another. The Play Store is full of them.

You can also use a computer to download the 0001.VCF file from one phone and upload it to the second one.

If you would post your phone type and android version, someone might be able to give an answer more specific to that model.

---
Tags: file-transfer
---


# Question
Title: My phone is going silent every day at 08.00 PM. Can't disable
I have Android 4.4.4 and once (or maybe after playing with settings) it started to go silent at 08.00 PM every day. And morning it is going back (usually I am doing it manually earlier). In settings this is disabled.

I can't disable it and it is very annoying, I miss many calls.

Is there any way to disable it, using some terminal commands? Thanks

# Answer
> 0 votes
See below link for "Do Not Disturb" feature on your phone:

https://www.google.com/amp/www.pcworld.com/article/2857736/shhh-3-ways-to-keep-your-pre-lollipop-android-phone-quiet.amp.html

---
Tags: terminal, bugs, silent-mode
---


# Question
Title: How to switch input method quickly on Android?
Since I need to use many different input methods at the same time so I wonder if there is a way to switch input method faster than pulling down the notification bar and clicking select input method?

# Answer
> 5 votes
If you are running on version 4.x you can change it from the notification bar or if your running on 2.x you can hold down where you are inputting the text and change it from there.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Select Input Method apparently lets you open the IME dialog via a single long press on the Search button. You can use the SIM Test to try this out before paying for the app. However, since most modern phones don't have a Search button, this app has limited usefulness.

Comments suggest that Pie Control can provide a soft Search key which can then be used to activate Select Input Method. However, I found that I was unable to map Search to a "slice of Pie" on my 4.1.2 Galaxy S3 (despite being able to map other controls like Home).

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can try Floating Keyboard Switcher Pro. It allows you to switch between keyboard quickly anywhere.

There is also a free version which lets you pull up the IME dialogue anywhere.

# Answer
> 1 votes
On Android 6 and later you can configure a keyboard change button to appear in the control strip alongside the soft Home and Back buttons whenever input mode is active. But if you have physical Home/Back buttons this probably won't work.

If you are rooted then you can flash a custom ROM such as SlimRom (https://slimroms.org) where you can assign the keyboard change action to long/double tap on Home or on the Back button.

---
Tags: keyboard, input-methods
---


# Question
Title: What happen with my message on my friend's device if I deactivate Viber
My question is quite clear, what happen with my message on my friend's Viber if I deactivate it?

Thanks

# Answer
> 0 votes
Your messages will no longer be available on your friend's device/account, but will still be seen from whatever device/account you're using, but

**NOTE**: All the messages will be stored at Viber's database as a backup.

I hope this answers your question.

---
Tags: sms, viber-messenger
---


title: Using adb to move data to new device

text:
# Question
Title: Using adb to move data to new device
I just got a new Samsung Galaxy Tab S3. I used Samsung Smart Switch and I have Google set to backup my data and restore it. But on all the apps that got automatically restored there was none of my data. I was looking at ADB and saw the backup option. So I was wondering if doing `adb backup -f ./samsung.bk -obb -all -nosystem` and then restoring the backup file to my new device would work or just brick it? My current device is a Samsung Galaxy Tab S. I used `-nosystem` so it wouldn't overwrite the core system files.

Many thanks is advanced. Geoffrey S.

# Answer
> 1 votes
It should work. At the very least it won't brick since it doesn't include system apps. You could also try adding `-shared` to your backup command.

---
Tags: backup, samsung-galaxy-tab, data-transfer, app-data, samsung-galaxy-tab-s-10.5
---


# Question
Title: Titanium Backup - Restoring manually backed up apps (TB, Google Drive)
I recently had to format my OnePlus 2 and backed up a few apps, namely Authenticator and two games. First, I did a normal backup, then I used "send latest backup" in the "special features" tab to put the backup into my Google Drive (I didn't know about the sync feature then). Now, TB won't restore the apps after I 1) manually copied the .TIBKP files from my Google Drive to the detected (!) folder on my OP2's internal storage and 2) linked my Drive and used the Sync button in the schedules list to download all backups. The backups don't show up in "Backup/Restore", it says "no backup yet".

I've tried clearing the App's cache which didn't help unfortunately.

I went through all steps on the technical FAQ site numerous times without success.

I am running Linage OS 14.1 (August 31), rooted using their suaddon. F2FS on data and cache.

These backups are very important to me, I have about a dozen accounts linked with my Authenticator which would all be lost. I greatly appreciate all attempts at helping me.

# Answer
> 0 votes
*Titanium Backup* would ask you to restore the `.tibkp` file if you "share" it to it directly. Easiest way to do so is using a file manager and "tap" the `*.tibkp` – as *Titanium Backup* is associated with that file extension, you should be offered to share it that way.

As you confirmed, *Root Browser* is a file manager capable of that. Most others should do as well, though some might be "too restricted" in their functionality as you found out, e.g. the built-in file manager.

---
Tags: applications, backup, data-recovery, titanium-backup, 7.1-nougat
---


# Question
Title: In Android, does my Google account saves my custom words from the dictionary of the keyboard?
In Android, does my Google account saves my custom words from the dictionary of the keyboard?

Additionally, is there a way to import/export that custom dictionary?

# Answer
No. Android doesn't saves your custom words from the dictionary of the keyboard in your Google account. Normally, the default keyboard doesn't automatically sync your personal (custom) dictionary. But you can email it or make a backup of it on an SD card.

* Setting -\> Keyboard -\> Personal Dictionary

OR

* Setting -\> Keyboard -\> Keyboard Type(eg HTC Sence Input) -\> Personal Dictionary
> 2 votes

# Answer
Google saves all custom words up to 5 years
> -2 votes

---
Tags: keyboard, google-account, dictionary, gboard
---


title: Wear 2.0 update can't voice text

text:
# Question
Title: Wear 2.0 update can't voice text
I have a Moto 360 Sport that just updated to android wear 2.0. Since the update, when I say, "Ok Google, text Joe Hello World" the watch says, "Oops, I can't do that right now." This worked fine before the update. I have given the watch permissions to my contacts and Google accounts since it asked. The same problem happens when I tell it to make a note. The phone is connected when I try that.

When I go to the watches contacts app, select a person, and select text, after listening to my input the text gets stuck on a spinning icon until I give up five minutes later. Phone call works thought from the same app.

Anyone else lose text functionality from the update? Any fixes?

# Answer
> 0 votes
I found the solution in another form and will post it here. https://productforums.google.com/d/msg/android-wear/gHxkMCzX-q8/Ju9ciHIICgAJ

> Joe Ellett said: On the watch: Settings, Unpair with phone. Do not set up the watch yet.
>
> On the phone: In Android Wear use the Disconnect... option.
>
> In Android Wear, use Settings, Device settings and touch the watch name, Touch UNPAIR WATCH.
>
> Settings, Bluetooth. If you still see the watch, touch Forget... the watch so it no longer appears in the list of paired devices.
>
> Settings, Device, Apps, select Google Play Services, Storage, Clear cache and Clear data. Uninstall updates.
>
> Settings, Device, Apps, select Google App, Storage, Clear cache and Clear data. Also Uninstall updates.
>
> Settings, Device, Apps, select Android Wear, Storage, Clear cache and Clear data. Also Uninstall updates.
>
> Play Store, Apps, My apps, touch the Update all button.
>
> Let all updates complete. This may take several hours. The best thing to do is to put your phone on its charger overnight, with the phone having a steady WiFi Internet connection. Double check the next morning by going to My Apps again. Reboot.
>
> Now set up the watch as if you had just unboxed it. Do NOT try to pair the watch manually, let the AW setup process do it for you.
>
> Let all updates complete. This may take an hour or so. If your watch is one or more major releases behind it may take several hours. The best thing to do is to put your watch on its charger next to your phone on its charger, with the phone having a steady WiFi Internet connection.
>
> Reboot watch and phone.

I had to tweak these instructions slightly on my LG G5. Instead of uninstalling updates on Android Wear, I had to uninstall and re-install, since it did not come with my phone. I skipped the step to clear Google App, so that may be an unnecessary step. I also skipped rebooting my phone and watch as the last step, since it was already working by that point.

Also fair warning, uninstalling updates to Google Play Services caused some of my other Google apps (calendar, inbox, etc) to start crashing and throwing errors. To be expected but when I updated Google Play Services again it lost my chrome bookmarks somehow.

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Tags: android-wear
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# Question
Title: How to find nearest cell tower location?
I need to find the nearest cell tower to my current location. I found my current location using GPS, but I need to get the location of the nearest tower to me.

# Answer
> 5 votes
As Dan insisted in his comment, here as separate answer:

Narayanan already mentioned in his answer that each cell tower can be identified via its "CID" (Cell ID), and there are several apps available at Google Play which make use of this. A few examples include:

*OpenSignal* and *RF Signal Tracker* (source: Google Play; click images for larger variant)

OpenSignal (first image). Here the compass gives you the direction to the cell tower. The app has additional features as well, e.g. it can plot cell towers and WiFi APs. My favorite in this area however is RF Signal Tracker, which has comparable features. It can show you on a map in live-mode cell towers you have been recently connected to (including those you are connected to currently) and their coverage (measured while you've been connected to them). You can import your own cell data in CSV format, or export existing ones to edit them and re-import). If you were in logging mode, you can even export a nice KML to see results in Google Maps or Google Earth, or simply re-play the recording. Another nice feature is the list of "neighbors", where this app logs when a connection was handed over from one cell to another.

There are several more apps having comparable features, so you might want to check the "related" sections on their playstore pages to find the app best fitting for your purpose.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Every cell phone transmission tower has a location area code and cell id. There are many apps in Google Play Store that can report these two parameters of the tower that the phone is presently connected to. This is likely to be the nearest (on the same network), but isn't necessarily. With these data, you can visit Cell2GPS and find its latitude and longitude and locate in a map. There are also apps that can do this as well.

# Answer
> 2 votes
On most non-Samsung phones you can dial number

```
*#*#4636#*#*

```

and get a detailed report of the cell tower including in some cases for CDMA towers the actual Latitude and Longitude:

For other towers mapping is more complicated. Some tools like OpenSignal give general information. For hunting down an actual tower location, CellMapper is the one with the right tools:

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can create request to Public API (source) if you have mobile cell information that you are currently connected. Most of the time current cell is physically nearest to you. But if you need to find the nearest tower to you you have to request all the cells that you currently see (neighbours cells) and then chose the nearest cell to you.

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Tags: geolocation, cellular-radio
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# Question
Title: What does "Download GPS assisted data only over Wi-Fi networks" really mean?
Since I checked this option in Settings \> Personal \> Location, GPS finally works when no data connection is available, eg. when travelling in foreign countries. It's still slower than when a data connection is available, but at least, it does locate me when I'm standing in open skies.

However, I was wondering what this option really means: Does it mean that it will *never* use A-GPS to download data from the Net *even when a data connection is available through GSM* \*?

IOW, if I'm travelling in my country where a GSM data connection *is* available, will Android download A-GPS data to speed things up?

Thank you.

* GSM, as opposed to wifi; I don't know a better term

# Answer
> 2 votes
The "Wifi" option means that A-GPS gets used only when on Wifi, such as at a cafe. Meaning, you're out of luck when using any form of cellular data including GSM data.

The GPS satellites send all required data, but they do so slowly. So you can get much faster "first time to fix" by getting the same information for your area over a data connection (either WiFi or cellular data).

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted\_GPS The specific data is the "ephemerides" and the "almanac", both of which are required for a GPS position fix.

# Answer
> 1 votes
AGPS uses not only GPS satellites, but also nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi networks to lock onto your phones location, so your location should be more accurate.

# Answer
> 1 votes
**GSM, CDMA, WCDMA** and **LTE** are all **mobile network connections** used for acquiring aGPS data.

So if your device has a standalone or hybrid GPS as well, you can use GPS without any problems (meaning as long as there is satellite reception). With aGPS your time-to-first-fix (**TTFF**) is much quicker, especially if its been awhile since last using GPS.

So to answer your "**IOW**", **yes** you will lock onto signal **very fast** if mobile data is enabled, as opposed to disabled.

**As to:** " Does it mean that it will never use A-GPS to download data from the Net even when a data connection is available through GSM ? ". No, it will use available mobile network connection for acquisition of needed data.

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Take a look at this, since you said travelling around your country (could help if accuracy becomes an issue) https://stackoverflow.com/questions/14548707/android-how-to-reset-and-download-a-gps-data

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`Standalone GPS units depend only on radio from satellites. A-GPS does that as well as using cell tower data to enhance quality and precision when there is poor satellite signal conditions. A GPS unit may require as long as 12.5 minutes (the time needed to download the data - GPS almanac and ephimerides) to resolve the problem and be able to provide a correct location.
To be more precise, "A-GPS" features are mostly dependent on an internet network and/or connection to an ISP. A mobile device featured with "A-GPS" (no additional GPS feature to be selected as alternative) can work only when there is an internet link/connection to an ISP.`

For a little more info look at **aGPS Wiki**

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Tags: gps
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