# Question
Title: File not deleted from Downloads message (but got disappeared)
When I try to delete a file using the downloads app (Android 8.1 app), I sometimes get the notification that my file couldn't be deleted and subsequent message by tapping the notification that my file wasn't deleted.

(click to enlarge)

But after this, the file is nowhere to be found in the downloads app, even when using a file explorer like Files Go or ES File explorer. I wonder what happened, whether my file got deleted or if not, then where is it?

I am using Nokia 3.1 Android version 8.1.0 Oreo. This problem has been there since my phone was new and had Android 8.0 Oreo.

Any help is much appreciated.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The Downloads app gives a list of all files that were downloaded - like a browser history. If the file was deleted already, it would still show up in the Downloads app even though the file doesn't exist any more. In that case, when you try to delete the file, the deletion will fail as you're seeing now.

This would happen if you deleted the file from the Downloads folder using a file explorer app (or some other app) instead of using the Downloads app, or if an app requested the download but deleted the file as soon as it finished using it.

This isn't the only explanation, but it's the most common one that fits your description.

---
Tags: downloading, file-management, files, 8.1-oreo
---


# Question
Title: What if a thief disabled Android Device Manager in settings
I have my phone stolen and It has no Lockscreen pattern. No sim Card. Location Turned off. No Data/WiFi.

What if the thief is smart enough to turnoff the Android Device Manager first before doing stuff with the mobile?

Does Android require Google account password first before disabling the Device Manager?

Will the Remote Erase work once the device goes online ? (Do they use device Id or IMEI for this)

# Answer
> Law One of Computer Crackers: If I can touch your device, I own your device.
>
> Law Two of Computer Crackers: If you device does not have a password, I definitely own your device.

Okay, so those are not really laws, at least not written ones. I am just stating them to make a point.

---

Because you have no device security to access it, anyone who gets hold of your phone can do anything they want.

> What if the thief is smart enough to turnoff the Android Device Manager first before doing stuff with the mobile?
>
> Does Android require Google account password first before disabling the Device Manager?

Then you are out of luck. You do not need a password to disable/uninstall any application through settings.

> Will the Remote Erase work once the device goes online ? (Do they use device Id or IMEI for this)

No, it uses your linked Google account to erase the data.

> No sim Card. Location Turned off. No Data/WiFi.

But before any of this, you say there is no sim card (meaning no carrier service available) and no wifi. That alone means that you are not able to do anything with device manager. If the thief were to connect it to the wifi, then you could, unless they have removed your account before connecting to the wifi.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: lost-phone, android-device-manager
---


title: How to grant permissions to ADB?

text:
# Question
Title: How to grant permissions to ADB?
I can use ADB while in recovery mode (TWRP) so to use it normally, I followed Android - Enable ADB from recovery to enable USB debugging. There is always an error while switching users, granting permissions, unhiding apps, using `am` and `pm` commands.

This is the error that always comes:

> Error: java.lang.SecurityException: Neither user 2000 nor current process has android.permission.INSTALL\_PACKAGES.

How to grant permissions to ADB?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Call "adb root" before calling "pm install -r xxx.apk"

---
Tags: adb, permissions, shell, system-error
---


# Question
Title: Why is my phone detecting two taps instead of one on the screen?
I'm observing a strange behaviour on my phone out of the blue. Yesterday, the left side of my screen stopped working properly. I started having a hard time clicking anything next to the left edge, typing the keyboard or pressing buttons on the left.

I enabled *Developer Options \> Input \> Show touches*, and I was able to observe that when I try to tap the left side of the screen, the screen appears to detect two taps on opposing sides of a column, as if the whole column of pixels were damaged. The phone hasn't suffered any hits or gotten wet. This is just out of nowhere.

I've uploaded a video of this to make it clearer here.

This is an Xperia Z3, D6603, running Android 5.1.1.

Has anyone encountered something like this? I've tried restarting the phone to no avail.

# Answer
This is a hardware problem. The screen sensor is faulty. The actions most likely to solve the problem:

1. Factory reset
2. Cleaning of the screen ribbon cable
3. Replacement of the screen.
> 1 votes

# Answer
It some time happens when some of the apps in the background are going through connection or network problems and they are third party they start behaving badly and they start making your phone to hang and make waste touches
> 0 votes

---
Tags: touchscreen, sony-xperia-z3
---


# Question
Title: Can I use Android tablet as a handsfree or headset Bluetooth device profile? (Status in 2018)
This question is a duplicate of Can an Android phone be used as a Bluetooth headset/speakers? from 2011. I am asking because I suspect Android may have been subject to an update or two since then.

My use case is:

* Old car with aux input
* Tablet screwed into the dashboard
* Tablet audio out into the car radio and wired microphone next to the rearview mirror into the tablet

I want to get in my car and take a call, without taking my phone out of my pockets. I've been searching an hour, reading 25-page long forum threads, still no definitive answers and almost all threads are from 2012 or so.

With all the people screwing tablets into their car's dashboard, there just has to be a way to do this, right?

# Answer
Both sides of Bluetooth handsfree profile (they are called handsfree unit, HF and audio gateway, AG) are implemented and present in Android source code. As a developer, you can develop firmware supporting HF, or AG, or even both (automatically or manually selecting what role will currently be active). But generally, firmware developed for smartphones and tablets supports only AG role and firmware developed for car head units supports only HF role.

I have not tried to search such information, but possibly alternative firmwares for specific tablets with dual roles support exist. There are no serious difficulties to implement it at a firmware level. But I am not sure that the implementation of standard second role at the application level is possible.
Upd: It can be difficult to support dual roles if audio streams are processed and routed by hardware, and there is no default streaming for one of roles.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: bluetooth, hands-free, bluetooth-hsp
---


# Question
Title: Can I work around dead spots on my touchscreen with a custom keyboard layout?
I have dead spots on my touchscreen, right on the soft keyboard area. Is there a way I can use a custom keyboard layout or move my keyboard to work around the problem until I replace my phone?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try swift keyboard - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.touchtype.swiftkey

This allows full customization of your keyboard size.

---
Tags: keyboard
---


# Question
Title: Galaxy Note 9 stutters on QHD resolution
I notice that when I have my Note 9's camera resolution set to QHD, 60 fps (the highest), when the camera app comes up and I see the video on the screen, ready to record, there's about a 3 second pause (the entire screen freezes as if it's too much to handle), then the video resumes, and this happens every 6 seconds or so. Every 6 seconds, the video would just pause for a few seconds like it's trying to catch up. When I record using QHD, I notice the same behavior when playing the video back. The video stammers, but the audio continues seamlessly. When I switch to a lesser resolution, the problem mostly is resolved. What can I do to fix this?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Please refer to this link: https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/help/note-9-camera-lag-freezing-t3834632/amp/

It seems that clearing G camera cache can help temporarily. It seems to be phone issue and I would suggest that you should raise this issue in Samsung forum or seek help from Samsung service center.

Quoted from the link above

> Dear trebills and others in this thread, This is Cole from Samsung Electronics’ North American offices. We would like to further discuss this issue with you. Would you be willing to provide your contact information in a private message so that one of our technical support agents can get more detailed information about your difficulty?

Thus best way would be to contact Samsung support. It seems they are also trying to debug the issue.

---
Tags: camera, samsung-galaxy-note
---


title: Samsung Galaxy Note keyboard software

text:
# Question
Title: Samsung Galaxy Note keyboard software
Is the software for the Galaxy Note keyboard (and its possibly its other unique features) available for other Android devices?

I am willing to pay and I also have a rooted phone, if that helps me get these features.

Specifically, as shown in this video, at about 22 seconds in, there is an option to write with a stylus which gets automatically recognised as words, etc.

# Answer
The "Graffiti" writing technology from the old PalmOS devices is available for Android now, and supports letter at a time text input with a stylus (or presumably a finger). Graffiti for Android.

However, something like DioPen or PenReader seems to be more what you're after. They both have very mixed reviews, and do seem to be better on some devices than others, and take some getting used to.
> 4 votes

# Answer
As far as I know the stylus used with the Galaxy Note is special and works only with this particular device, so using that input method with different phones would mean to use the finger instead.

Having tried the handwriting recognition of the Note I found that it is not quite as good as it seemed on first glance and I went back to using "Graffiti for Android" which I had already been using for the Google Nexus One. On the Galaxy Note it also works with the stylus but the recognition rate using the finger is also quite good.
> 3 votes

# Answer
You can try google handwriting input.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.handwriting.ime&hl=en\_IN
> 0 votes

---
Tags: keyboard, samsung-galaxy-note, input-methods, notes, stylus
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to restore a Titanium backup from PC to a crashed ROM?
If I have complete Titanium backup copied to my PC (where I imagine the ROM is copied too).

More than 200 files.

Now I have a crashed ROM (boot looping).

Is there a simple way to restore this backup to my phone via USB without installing a new ROM (nor TWRP)?

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you can't install TWRP, what about booting it for once?

Download a valid TWRP image and reboot your phone into bootloader, and run on computer:

```
fastboot boot twrp.img

```

Then you can use `adb push` to transfer the files.

---
Tags: boot-loop, restore, windows, titanium-backup
---


title: WhatsApp chats disappearing randomly

text:
# Question
Title: WhatsApp chats disappearing randomly
In WhatsApp, random messages are disappearing from chats chronologically. Messages from earlier dates are missing. Not all of them disappeared. It's happening randomly. Like if I asked something on WhatsApp, the reply of another person is missing. Also, it's happening with messages from both me and the other person. I have been facing this issue for last month when I port my number from IDEA to JIO.

I tried reinstalling WhatsApp with and without backup, but it didn't help.

What's the possible cause and how to prevent it? If it's related, I'm using a Xiaomi device.

# Answer
Do you see anything like "this message was deleted"? If yes, it means that the person posting the message has deleted it for all users.

Otherwise, WhatsApp doesn't delete messages unless your phone is accessed by someone who intentionally or unintentionally deleted the messages.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger
---


title: samsung s9 Charging time

text:
# Question
Title: samsung s9 Charging time
My new Galaxy s9 is taking around 1 hr 39 mins to completely charge the battery. I checked with Samsung customer care they said it should take normally 50 mins to 1 hr.

They did some test on mobile to see is there any other app is preventing to charge, but nothing helped to see the problem. So before I send the devices back to them, I just wanted to see did any of us is facing this kind of issue or is it normal to take this long?

# Answer
> 4 votes
I am not sure why Samsung support would tell you that a full charge cycle is less than an hour... All references I have found, like this one, indicate a normal charge time from 0-50% of around 36-40 minutes, and a full charge cycle from 0-100% would be in the range of 1hr 37min to 1hr 45min using the stock A/C wired charging adapter.

There are many possible things that could make this charge cycle time take longer, but not less time. I am not aware of anyway to get it in the time frame you were told.

I believe your device is functioning normally and your charge time of 1hr 39min falls well within the normal range.

---
Tags: charging, samsung-galaxy-s-9
---


# Question
Title: Forgot Pattern and now cannot Erase Remotely
So I ended up forgetting my pattern lock. (I'm sure I remembered it yet no luck. Maybe too many attempts and no info from google)

I went to Android Device Manager and tried the lock function to set a password, but received the dreaded "this device is already locked" so the password I set isn't used.

Then I rebooted the phone.

Then after some more pattern attempts I decided to just erase it and hope the google backup sync has my data, otherwise my adb backup from 1 month ago should be good.

**So I went back to Android Device Manger to try erasing it, and now it cannot connect to the phone!!**

The sim is just fine. It is connected to my home wifi and has full bars on cellular.

What are my options?

How can I contact google? There is no contact phone or chat support!

(Running Android 8 or 9 on Pixel 2)

# Answer
Needed to boot into recovery mode.

You can follow the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFaq4g-oa2Q, but these are the steps:

1. Press and hold the power button for a few seconds
2. Tap the Power Off option when the Power Menu appears
3. Wait for the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL to completely turn off
4. Then press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down button at the same time
5. Continue holding these two buttons down until you boot into Fastboot Mode
6. Press the Volume Down button twice until Recovery is highlighted
7. Then press the Power button to select this option
8. Wait for the Pixel 2 to reboot and the splash screen to appear
9. Hold the Power button, and press the Volume Up button once and release. You should you see the transition to Recovery Mode screen - let go of the power button.

Wipe the phone and reboot.

Now you can restore from cloud backups through the setup screens.

---

Here is the worst part:

A while back Google disabled the feature of using your google account instead of the pattern lock when locked out. Everyone complained. Now after wiping, it says you must use the old pattern, but it also has the option to bypass using your google account!!! Incredible!

Update:

Unrooted backups restore almost nothing! Surprise! (Good thing I had a solid 2FA restore plan.) To gain real backups (untested!) you must root, which would open up security holes.

Sorry google, I'm going back to apple and never coming back.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: locked-out, google-pixel-2
---


# Question
Title: Change layout of software buttons on home screen
I have a China-branded tablet running Android 4.2. The tablet has the "new" Jellybean 4.2 home screen button layout where the software buttons are centered on the screen, rather than aligned left as in common desktop operating systems such as Windows and Linux (with the KDE or Gnome 2 desktop).

The problem is that the button layout in my tablet differs in a slight, but annoying way from the Android 4.2 default, which is to put the home button at center, surrounded by the back button at the left and the recent apps button at the right. Instead, my tablet has the home button displaced one position left of center, which is occupied by the recent apps button followed by the two volume buttons (down/up).

Is there a way to edit the layout/order of the software buttons of the Android home screen? My ideal would be this sequence: volume down, back, home, recent apps, volume up. (Such a layout would retain the volume buttons, while keeping the home button in the familiar center slot.)

I know that Cyanogenmod has a settings tab precisely for fixing this problem. However there's no Cyanogenmod port for my tablet, its main saving grace being that it comes "pre-rooted", which allows me in theory to mess with any system settings if only I knew how.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The comment above about replacing System UI is correct. However there's a hack that overlays Android's built-in navigation bar with a "customizable navbar-like panel". The real navbar is hidden but still exists.

If you're still interested in a hard fix you need to unpack, modify and repack SystemUI.apk. This can be done using the apktool utility, which unzips the apk in editable form. In the resulting file tree, look for and edit **res/layout/system\_bar.xml** using a plain text editor. Add the keymap and icons for volume control:

```
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.policy.KeyButtonView android:id="@id/sub" android:layout_width="@dimen/navigation_key_width" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/ic_sysbar_volume_down" systemui:keyCode="25" systemui:glowBackground="@drawable/ic_sysbar_highlight" />
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.policy.KeyButtonView android:id="@id/add" android:layout_width="@dimen/navigation_key_width" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/ic_sysbar_volume_up" systemui:keyCode="24" systemui:glowBackground="@drawable/ic_sysbar_highlight" />

```

The exact placement of the code probably depends on the customization done by the ROM vendor. But a likely spot is to search and place it after the line that contains the text "android:src="@drawable/ic\_sysbar\_recent".

After inserting the references, you need to copy the icons themselves to the right folder:

```
res/drawable-mdpi/ic_sysbar_volume_down.png
res/drawable-mdpi/ic_sysbar_volume_up_land.png
res/drawable-mdpi/ic_sysbar_volume_down_land.png
res/drawable-mdpi/ic_sysbar_volume_up.png

```

The final step is to repack the edited system\_bar.xml and new icons along with the rest of the unpacked SystemUI.apk.

I'm sure my instructions are incomplete. So remember to keep a good (and tested) backup and recovery tool at hand before attempting to install your hacked apk!

# Answer
> 0 votes
See this article

With USB debugging enabled and adb installed on a connected computer, run

```
adb shell settings put secure sysui_nav_bar "space,recent;home;back,space"

```

Note: On my device, with ADB from Windows, I had to run `adb shell` seperately and then run `settings put secure sysui_nav_bar "space,recent;home;back,space"` due to quoting issues.

The article gives details on adding custom buttons.

You might be able to read out the settings from your device with the desired configuration using

```
adb shell settings get secure sysui_nav_bar # Some devices gives "null"

```

Both devices need to run Android \>= 4.2

---
Tags: home-screen, home-button
---


# Question
Title: Use photo file instead front camera image
Instead of using the real camera, I would like to simulate the camera input as a static image file.

I need to use it in one program, where I can't use 3rd party "fake camera apps" because program asks me only "Do I permit this application to take photos and record videos" and after "Allow" my front camera turns on. I can't even choose the 3rd party fake camera app.

Any suggestions on how to deal with that?

# Answer
> 0 votes
As a developer, I don't think that's possible without changing the program you are trying to use.

If that specific program(I suppose it's actually an application) was built to use only the images taken by the integrated front camera, you have to first "teach" it who to use images from other sources. But that's the job of the program developers. You can probably contact them and request this new feature.

---
Tags: camera
---


# Question
Title: How to backup the entire device from a computer and mount any of the bakup partitions in Linux?
I am looking for some tutorial or help to be able to make a backup of all Android partitions directly on my computer and be able to mount each of them from Linux to view them.

# Answer
I don't know if it will work for your particular device and OS but I think this script is straight forward and you will be able to get the general idea and modify accordingly.

It first lists the content of /dev/block/platform/\[xxxxx\]/by-name directory (differs from device to device) then loops through the content files which in this case are partition names of your particular device. In each iteration it trims the 0x0d (carriage-return "\r") character that is added at the end of each file name, then it uses `cat` to print the partition to stdout of your terminal but we must also handle 0x0d (carriage-return "\r") byte that is added before newline(0x0a) before printing, then it calculates the md5sum of the output file which you can compare to the md5sum of the partition in your device to be sure there is no corruption.

```
#!/bin/bash
BY_NAME_DIR="/dev/block/platform/sprd-sdhci.3/by-name"
for partition in $(adb shell ls $BY_NAME_DIR)
do
            partition=$(tr -d '\r'<<<$partition)
            echo Backing up $partition partition
            adb shell "su -c cat $BY_NAME_DIR/$partition 2> /dev/null"|sed 's/\r$//' > ${partition}.img
            echo Calculating md5sum
            md5sum ${partition}.img > ${partition}.md5
            echo Done backing up ${partition}
done

```

You can also refer to this question to see how you can handle the added "\r"(0x0d) characters
> 0 votes

---
Tags: adb, backup, shell
---


# Question
Title: Photos in DCIM folder visible on phone, not visible via USB
I use a RedMi 3S (Android 6.0.1), non-rooted and fully updated.

I have a large number of photographs in my DCIM/Camera folder (in my "Internal Storage"). They're visible via the Gallery app, File Manager, and even visible and accessible via an SFTP server that I set up on the phone.

However, if I connect the phone to a PC with a USB cable, and choose either PTP or MTP (Files or Photos respectively) - I don't see these photos. I *do* see the `DCIM/` folder, and one of the other subfolders there (named `Screenshot`) but `DCIM/Camera` is suspiciously missing.

Why is this happening and how can I transfer my photos over USB?

Notes:

* Unlike the highly related question, the issue here is *not* the out-of-date media manager database; I just performed a "rescan", and it didn't change anything.

# Answer
As you point out you're using Linux, I strongly recommend taking a look at **adbfs.** You can use that to mount the entire device to your computer and access it as if it were local. I'm using it for years and am very satisfied with it (including the support).

1. download/clone the repo
2. follow the install instructions (on the linked page)
3. create yourself a "mount point" (where you want to see the Android device, e.g. `/home/foobar/droid`)
4. attach your device (USB debugging enabled) via USB
5. verify with `adb devices` that it's there
6. mount it: `adbfs /home/foobar/droid`
7. access everything the non-root user has access to – including the photos – read/write
8. when done, unmount: `fusermount -u /home/foobar/droid`

(of course, once it's working you'll only need to repeat steps 5/6 to 8)

When mounted, it's available like any local file system – so you can access it from the shell, or use a graphical file explorer, or access it with whatever programs you want. As Irfan pointed out: MTP sucks (isn't it a MS product?) – but adbfs never let me down.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: usb, photos, file-transfer, usb-connection-mode, redmi
---


# Question
Title: How to disable "Verify HUAWEI ID" notification?
How to get rid of this reminder if I do not have any HUAWEI ID, and have not ever used HUAWEI cloud?

Device: HUAWEI P20 EML-L29 8.1.0.164
EMUI: ⠀8.1.0
Kernel: 4.4.103+

# Answer
If you pull down the notification bar and slide the notification message to the right you can access the notification settings via the cog symbol.

Alternatively this notification comes from the Huawei 'Files' app, find it in apps and notifications and kill that app!.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: notifications, emui, huawei-p20
---


# Question
Title: TWRP Backup restoring Line/Whatsapp problem
so I have the following Problem.

I had flashed the custom os anchidroid onto my s3. It was working perfectly until recently my phone would boot and keep trying to optimise all my apps and restart and try to optimise all apps again and so on. So i googled for an answer, and i found a thread saying that its best to reinstall, so I took a twrp nandroid backup of my broken rom and reinstalled.

Now I have the problem that I dont know how to restore my apps from my twrp Backup. I tried titanium backup and Nandroid Manager. Titanium Backup essential doesnt recover my apps. It does list all my apps but when trying to recover data or data plus app it just says batch action complete, but doesnt do anything. Nandroid Manager on the other site keeps crashing when im trying to open the Backup.

I also tried extracting the twrp backup on my desktop and move the files over to my phone, but thats where my essential problem is: Is it normal that the /data/com.whatsapp f.x. is only 228kb? My whole data twrp backup is around 3gb big, with 400mb being dalvik cache and 2gb base apks and the rest being in /data/data

I would be fine with just reinstalling the apps from the google play store and not recovering chat logs, but since whatsapp and line are based on verification with a phone number this is not an option for me. I dont have my phone number to log in.

Last time I had an issue with my phone I was able to use Titanium Backup to backup Whatsapp and Line and restore then on the factory reset rom again and bypass the phone verification, but since I wasnt able to access my phone at all I wasnt able to reproduce this step.

Did I do something wrong when I tried to restore the apps or is there any other Way I could restore them from my twrp backup? Any Help is appreciated.

Im using the Android Version 5.1.1 with ARchidroid 3.1.5

# Answer
> Titanium Backup essential doesnt recover my apps. It does list all my apps but when trying to recover data or data plus app it just says batch action complete, but doesnt do anything

This is wrong in general, because Titanium's duty is to restore snapshots of applications accessing folders that are normally hidden to the regular user. For example I have just successfully restored Authenticator, which is designed to be buried in the phone.

While this works for (many) apps, others may not work with Titanium because of *esoteric* ways to store their data. Applications heavily depending on cryptography **should** be implemented in a way that Titanium fails to restore the app state. Not aimed to defeat Titanium, but in such a way that Titanium fails.

The following is an answer from a developer.

I don't have the source code of Whatsapp and Line, but from what I have learned from security-oriented coding and Android docs, you should avoid to store a private key "plaintext" in the store, relying on Android's kernel and hardware features to protect your keys.

One is to use hardware keystore attestation. Since keys are bound to hardware features, a root user copying the secure storage of such applications will fail.

Another is simply to hash the keys with hardware information such as IMEI or Device ID, something that cannot be (easily) cloned by a super user, and that Titanium won't necessarily restore.

I said *necessarily* because I recall an option, working on the same hardware model, to restore the device ID from the build properties, in order for Google to make it appear as the old device.

## Conclusion

I think that Whatsapp and Line's implementation of secure storage relies on hardware information to implement the highest standards in information security, with the direct consequence that a restored dump of the user data directory will necessarily fail.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: backup, whatsapp-messenger, twrp, line
---


# Question
Title: Use Samsung or Google account for automatic backup?
On my Samsung Galaxy S7 with Android 8.0 I'm logged into both a Samsung account and a Google account. Both of these offer cloud backup and data synchronisation of settings and documents, but I'm unsure which I should use, because it's not clear to me what each does exactly.

What I'm looking for is an automatic backup of settings, contacts, messages, downloaded files, photographs, ... in case my phone is stolen or lost or I have to do a reset for some reason.

This doesn't have to be done immediately; I'd be ok with data being uploaded once a day, or even every couple of days for things like photographs.

At the moment it seems that both the Samsung and Google account have some degree of backup/syncing switched on, but they're probably doing the same thing twice, and they may get in each other's way if I ever want to restore data.

Since I'm already using a lot of Google services (Gmail, Calendar...) it seems a logical choice to go with the Google account, but I don't want to completely disable the Samsung account, because I want to keep the "Where's My Phone?" functionality.

So, what would be the best way to set up automatic backups, and how do I avoid the Google and Samsung backup functionality doing duplicate work or getting in each othere's way?

# Answer
If you are going to switch phones to another Samsung brand in the future, use the Samsung backup.

If you switch to a different android phone manufacturer, then use Google backup.

However, there is no reason not to use both. All of the Google service stuff, to my knowledge, does not backup with Samsung, and vice-versa.

As for restoring apps and data, I do not think they will collide.

You could also change what each is backing up. Say for instance, let Google save off the Apps and other google service things, and let Samsung do the rest.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: backup, sync, 8.0-oreo, samsung-galaxy-s7, google-backup
---


# Question
Title: How to prove that the bootloader of a device is unlockable when it currently shows as locked?
A newly bought Pixel device from a random seller can switch between carriers but the bootloader shows as locked. Are all pixel devices' bootloaders locked by default? And how to show that it is possible to unlock the bootloader? And how to re-lock it for Pixel 2 XL. Any sources would be appreciated.

This phone is model G011C.

# Answer
All Pixel's are bootloader locked by default, Google retail models can be unlocked easily while Verizon models cannot.

In the comments, you said "The question is how to PROVE it is not a Verizon variant. This phone is model G011C."

The model G011C is the Google Retail version, the Verizon version has a model of GA00152-US. Also, determining whether it's a Google or Verizon version is not difficult by other methods.

Method 1:

Go to the device Settings Menu, About Phone, and tap the Build Number repeatedly to enable Developer Options and then open that menu. If the OEM Unlocking option grayed out and it says "connect to the internet or contact your carrier" then you have the Verizon model.

Method 2:

Obtain the IMEI number and go to Verizon's BYOD Checker site and enter your IMEI number. If it is NOT a Verizon version, the message will be "PIXEL 2 XL NON-VZW" if it is a Verizon variant the message will be "PIXEL 2 XL VZW" or just "PIXEL 2 XL".

Method 3:

Chat with Google support and give them the IMEI number, they can tell you if the device is a Google Retail variant, or a Verizon variant.

And to answer the second portion of your question, "And how to re-lock it for Pixel 2 XL", this is a simple fastboot command away. Just enter `fastboot flashing lock` when the device is in the bootloader - Source

All non-Verizon versions can have the bootloader unlocked simply by enabling OEM Unlocking in the Developer Options menu, and using the fastboot command `fastboot flashing unlock`. No Verizon version of the Pixel 2 can have the bootloader unlocked by any known method.

Also, I don't know if your original question is mis-tagged or not, but you also used the `sim-unlocking` tag. SIM lock or carrier lock is something else entirely than bootloader lock (related to custom ROMs & TWRP tags). No Pixel device is SIM/carrier locked regardless of where it is purchased originally, or even can be SIM locked to my knowledge. Many people bought the Verizon version of Pixel & Pixel 2 outright from Verizon stores as they had them instock and immediately took them to different carriers with no issue.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: custom-roms, twrp, bootloader, sim-unlocking
---


# Question
Title: This account already exists on your device - Huawei Nova 2S
I bought a Huawei Nova 2S while in China. Installed Google Play Services 14.3.66 (com.google.android.gms\_14.3.66\_(090408-213742215)-14366030\_minAPI26(arm64-v8a,armeabi-v7a)(480dpi)\_apkmirror.com).

I then downloaded many google apps (Google, Drive, Music, Gmail, Sheets, Keep, Maps, Hangouts, Youtube) but not all of them.

\** **Problem** \**: After downloading Google Contacts I cannot use the app. It asks me to sign in and when I attempt to do that I get "This account already exists on your device"

I have now upgraded to (com.google.android.gms\_14.5.73\_(040408-219655168)-14573021\_minAPI23(arm64-v8a,armeabi-v7a)(480dpi)\_apkmirror.com) but still no luck. I am going to post this on Google's contacts support website so will update this if a solution is found.

-I also checked the permissions for Gmail, Play services and Contacts. I selected "Trust this app" for all three to avoid any possible permission problems.
-Cleared app cache & data for Contacts. Re-started the phone but still no luck.

Some of the resources I've visited:

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/gmail/GO4l2n3k-1o;context-place=topicsearchin/gmail/This$20account$20already$20exists$20on$20your$20device$20contact - same issue but never solved.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/gmail/USU0RXKwNds \- again, unsolved

Next update: Removed google account, was able to sign in to contacts, but once in it didn't sync any data and acted like I never signed in at all with the sign-in button appearing at the top of the menu again.

# Answer
I FOUND THE ANSWER!!!!

I needed to download **Google Contacts Sync**, which I got from apkmirror.com. It asked to manage my google account and access and modify contacts, which is *exactly* what I wanted.

I really hope this helps those other frustrated people who are experiencing the same problem (perhaps who bought a phone in China :-))
> 0 votes

---
Tags: google-play-services, google-contacts
---


# Question
Title: Motorola Nexus 6 won't show its filesystem
I've had a Motorola Nexus 6 for some time now, and I tend to be a bit static with it -- I'd uploaded the majority of my music library at the time and then didn't change much for a long time.

Now I recently purchased a number of new songs and wanted to upload them to my phone, but when I plug it into a computer (any computer I've tried so far, two linux systems and one windows 10) they recognize the Nexus 6, but when I try to open it in a file manager they only show an empty folder. Rebooting either the computer or the phone had no effect.

When I attempt the same thing on my Samsung Galaxy tablet, the tablet prompts me to enable sharing and after I confirm that I can browse the filesystem on my tablet, but the Nexus 6 phone never shows me that dialog.

It's entirely possible that I accidentally enabled a security feature and forgot about it; can anyone offer suggestions where I should start looking?

# Answer
> 1 votes
It took a lot more searching than I liked, but this question put me on the right track.

What you need to do is connect via USB, then unlock the phone and drag the top bar down. One of the notification areas will say "USB charging this device", and when you tap it you're offered the choice of USB charging, MTP file sharing, PTP photo sharing, or MIDI passthrough. Selecting MTP filesharing will let your computer browse your phone's files.

---
Tags: file-transfer, nexus-6
---


title: Add APN (+ Button) Option Missing

text:
# Question
Title: Add APN (+ Button) Option Missing
So my gf and I both have the Xiaomi Mi A2, her works perfectly, but when I tried to setup mine, I realized I had no data connection.

In order to make it work with my provider, I must configure a new custom APN but for some reason, the button to add a new one is missing. I´ve checked, however, my gf's mobile, despite being apparently the same in every aspect, she has such button.

Then I thought there must be some differences between both devices operating system's version, so I wonder if is there a way to compare both to check what I'm missing in order to have the option that I need?

If not, any way to fix this would be really appreciated. Thank you in advance

# Answer
> 1 votes
For some reason, without the SIM card or other cards the plus button to add APN appears, which doesnt when having my own card.

Finally I found an app called MyApp, that after installing, it allowed me to edit the APNs, so now everything works as it should, despite it's a workaround.

---
Tags: apn, android-one
---


title: Disable proximity sensor on Nexus 5

text:
# Question
Title: Disable proximity sensor on Nexus 5
My Nexus 5's proximity sensor is broken and I verified the same using the Proximity Sensor Test.

As usual, the screen goes black during the calls and I use the power button to end the call. But the problem is during whatsapp or skype call, power button doesn't help and I need to search for a Bluetooth or ear phones to dial or receive a call.

Kindly help me to disable proximity sensor or any other work arounds

Edit: Unfortunately I am not interested in rooting. So I am looking for some kind of app.

# Answer
I had the same issue recently, it seems the proximity sensor doesn't work properly and it always see there is something near the phone. During the phone call, this will automatically turn off the screen.

I work around this using the app named "Proximity Screen Off Lite" https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.itsme4ucz.screenoff

I configure the app as below.

1. Screen On/Off Modes Check "Cover and hold to turn on Screen" Timeout: 1 second Check "Disable Accidentla Lock" Timeout: 4 seconds
2. All settings Check "Disable in Lanscape" Check "Lock phone on screen ON"
3. \[Advanced\] Configure Sensore Select sensor: Proximity sensor Value when sensor covered: 0 Value when sensor un-covered: 1

Turn on the service and enjoy your phone calls.

Or

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobiledirection.proximitysensorreset

This may help too

Hope it help.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: nexus-5, proximity-sensor
---


# Question
Title: Can I share my Android's VPN connection over a Hotspot?
I recently purchased a Chromebook which doesn't support my companies PPTP VPN. As a workaround, would it be possible to connect to the VPN on my Android (4.4) and share that connection over a hotspot? If so, how?

# Answer
> 10 votes
Unfortunately the stock Android tethering application does not work with VPNs. This limitation is an oversight in the software and not a system limitation.

However there is an application called ClockworkMod Tether that will allow you to tether and use a VPN at the same time. In fact it makes use of the standard tethering application and then fixes up the routing information to make it work.

This application does not require you to root your phone but you do need to run software on the computer that you wish to connect to your phone. Also this only works for USB tethering at the moment.

There are other alternatives to ClockworkMod Tether, if you wish to try them, including PDANet.

Hope it could help

# Answer
> 8 votes
I found some information that consists of adding iptables rules using command-line in your rooted device.

I tested it on my Android 4.4 on Blu studio and it works fine.

Quoted text originally written by SmokeyTech1 of XDA-Developers here:

> 1. You need a rooted device
> 2. Make sure you have a VPN app, like OpenVPN or DroidVPN ( I use DroidVPN and its the best)
> 3. Download Terminal Emulator
> 4. Activate your hotspot and connect to your VPN
> 5. Launch Terminal emulator and on the first line type "su" (without the quotes) and press enter
> 6. Copy and paste this to the Terminal Emulator. **Make sure to paste to a new folder using Root Browser first and copy to T.E. in the exact format as shown below**:
>
> ```
> iptables -t filter -F FORWARD
> iptables -t nat -F POSTROUTING
> iptables -t filter -I FORWARD -j ACCEPT
> iptables -t nat -I POSTROUTING -j MASQUERADE
> ip rule add from 192.168.43.0/24 lookup 61
> ip route add default dev tun0 scope link table 61
> ip route add 192.168.43.0/24 dev wlan0 scope link table 61
> ip route add broadcast 255.255.255.255 dev wlan0 scope link table 61
> ```
> 7. That's about it. Also, be sure to make a folder with Root Browser and paste the code there, as this resets after re-boot. It worked on my LG G3 on android 4.4.2

<sub>(Note: Quoted text has been edited to fit the site's formatting style.)</sub>

**ATTENTION**: Part of the rules where it says `wlan0`, this is interface that corresponds to where you want send the connection. To send it to the WiFi hotspot, replace it with `ap0` The `tun0` is the VPN tunnel that you receive from the remote server. You can list all the interfaces typing `netcfg` the root terminal

As for terminal emulator, I use ConnectBot:

> **ConnectBot** allows a terminal emulator on your device for connections ssh, telnet and localhost.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Yes. F-Secure Freedome (a VPN client) is running on my Note 2. I have Note 2 tethered to an Ubuntu machine and an Android tablet. My tablet and laptop post a Germany IP address, while I am on the other side of the ocean.

* Make sure that your data plan allows tethering.
* Make sure that you are on the cell network. However, USB tether to Wifi VPN on the phone works a bit better. I keep my connection dropped when going all over over the air.
* Depending on your flavor of Android your mileage may vary

Note 2 and the tablet are running 4.4 (CM 11 nightlies), Ubuntu is on 14.04.

# Answer
> 0 votes
1. On Android device, install:
2. Tether Chromebook and phone by USB cable.
3. Run:
    * Mobile internet connection
    * VPN client
    * Proxoid
    * Internet Sharer
4. Set mobile to tether USB connection (check the icon of USB connection on mobile changed).
5. Find phone IP address (Ping & DNS, Network Info, IP: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, internet connection must be active)
6. On Chromebook, log in, check internet connection, WiFi should be automatically replaced by USB Ethernet.
7. Click the ethernet icon, Settings, proxy TAB.
8. Finally set on Chromebook (HTTP proxy host: IP in form xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, port 8080, HTTPS proxy host IP, port 8081, SOCKS proxy IP, port 1080).
9. Try to run Chrome and browse intranet (as in mobile).

# Answer
> 0 votes
This is an extension to the answer provided by João José that would allow you to selectively direct certain traffic to VPN while letting other go directly.

I wouldn't have figured it out without João José's brilliant answer so if you will upvote this, please upvote his answer as well.

```
# Following rules will allow me to redirect traffic through my vpn
iptables -t filter -F FORWARD
iptables -t nat -F POSTROUTING
iptables -t filter -I FORWARD -j ACCEPT
iptables -t nat -I POSTROUTING -j MASQUERADE

ip route add 192.168.43.0/24 dev wlan0 scope link table 61
ip rule add fwmark 0x61 table 61
ip rule add iif tun0 table 61

# Configure traffic that I want to make it go through VPN
# 1. My DNS
iptables -t mangle -A PREROUTING -p tcp -d 208.67.220.220/32 -j MARK --set-xmark 0x61
iptables -t mangle -A PREROUTING -p tcp -d 208.67.222.222/32 -j MARK --set-xmark 0x61
iptables -t mangle -A PREROUTING -p udp -d 208.67.220.220/32 -j MARK --set-xmark 0x61
iptables -t mangle -A PREROUTING -p udp -d 208.67.222.222/32 -j MARK --set-xmark 0x61
# 2. Insecure websites
iptables -t mangle -A PREROUTING -p tcp --dport 80 -j MARK --set-xmark 0x61

```

---
Tags: wifi-hotspot, vpn
---


title: decrypt data-partition in twrp

text:
# Question
Title: decrypt data-partition in twrp
I messed up my phone trying to get open-gapps working on CM 13. I can't even get into my OS only into recovery mode. I tried flashing several CM-Versions, but that doesn't change much. I think the problem is, that my dalvik is corrupted. My data-partition is encrypted with a 3x3 pattern and TWRP can't decrypt it, so I can't wipe dalvik. I tried several variations of `twrp decrypt`, but they don't work. Now I am trying to flash cryptfs since I found a HowTo, which told me to use this commands:

```
setprop ro.crypto.state encrypted
vdc cryptfs checkpw 'pattern'
mount /dev/block/dm-0 /data

```

The problem is, that cryptfs is not installed. I tried to flash cryptfs, with a custom made zip-file, but it seems, the cryptfs-installation is also trying to write into /data and just aborts, since it can't mount it.

I really like to avoid making a factory-reset before getting my data out. Any suggestions? (I have a Sony Xperia M using nicky-cm)

# Answer
> 1 votes
> My data-partition is encrypted with a 3x3 pattern and TWRP can't decrypt it

This can be solved by considering the 3x3 grid as the numbers on the keypad. For Example, consider a pattern that looks like the uppercase **L** character.

```
↓ o o  |  1 2 3
↓ o o  |  4 5 6
↓ → →  |  7 8 9

```

here, your password would be 14789

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, encryption, twrp
---


# Question
Title: How to disable "Flash while ringing" on the Xiaomi A2 Lite
My Xiaomi A2 Lite flashlight illuminates whenever I get a phone call. How can I disable this feature?

I tried looking at Settings \> Apps & Notification \> Phone \> Phone \> App notification \> Incoming calls. Unfortunately there is no "Flash while ringing" option there.

# Answer
Try this:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap on System Apps.
3. Tap on Phone Section.
4. Choose Incoming Call Settings.
5. Now disable “Flash when ringing” option.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Try this:

Open Phone App → click the three horizontal bars in the bottom left corner → Settings.

Alternatively, go to *Settings → App Settings Section → System Apps → Call settings*. You should now be in call settings. Now go to *Incoming calls settings → Flash while ringing*.

If you require pictures, you can follow the introduction and #3 in the 10 Best Xiaomi Redmi Devices Call Settings Tips & Tricks article.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: calls, accessibility, flashlight, xiaomi-mi-a2-lite
---


title: Tasker - read the ping time

text:
# Question
Title: Tasker - read the ping time
we can use ping shell command in tasker to see if a domain is online or not but can we get the ping time too? like in pc when you ping that shows a "time=xx" can we somehow access to that in tasker?

# Answer
```
A1: Run Shell [ Command:ping -c 1 8.8.8.8 Timeout (Seconds):0 Use Root:Off Store Output In:%PING Store Errors In: Store Result In: Continue Task After Error:On ]

A2: Variable Section [ Name:%PING From:88 Length:11 Adapt To Fit:Off Store Result In:%TEST ]

A3: Flash [ Text:%TEST Long:On ]

```
> 1 votes

# Answer
I get the response times like this:

`ping -qc1 google.com 2>&1 | awk -F'/' 'END{ print (/^rtt/? "OK "$5" ms":"FAIL") }'`

Example output: `OK 1.038 ms`

You could modify the output to get only the numeric value, so the output can be directly piped to a variable in tasker, eg: `ping -qc1 google.com 2>&1 | awk -F'/' 'END{ print (/^rtt/? $5 : 0) }'`

Exmaple output: `1.038` or in case of a failure: `0`

\__

credits: https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/409203/ping-show-only-results
> 0 votes

---
Tags: tasker
---


# Question
Title: How to make adb shell commands wrap single line to multiple lines by default?
Let's say I have this long one-liner command:

```
am force-stop com.example.foo; am force-stop com.example.bar; am force-stop com.example.foo2 am force-stop com.example.bar2; am force-stop com.example.foo; am force-stop com.example.bar; ps|grep example

```

When I copy-paste into terminal, it doesn't wrap as multiple lines like ordinary terminal do, instead it keep single line:

As you can see, I can't view whole commands in single screen when the cursor move to the end by copy-paste OR press `End`. It only shows partial commands and not able to re-copy part of command easily.

Desired behavior:

Is it possible ? I learned that `COLUMNS=150` can increase the adb command width from 80 to 150, but still I can't found a way to achieve this.

Note that I don't want to add `\` manually which also not working when reuse the command:

# Answer
> 0 votes
My workaround is use `busybox sh`, but still I welcome any answer to achieve this in native way without busybox.

---
Tags: adb, command-line
---


# Question
Title: I have multiple google accounts. How can I hide some of them from the Gmail and Calendar apps?
I have several google accounts I use for different purposes (i.e. my main everything account, one to log in to less secure websites / games, one shared account for work, my wife's Play store account).

I only use my main account for the gmail app and two accounts for the calendar app. I have customized the synchronization options under settings -\> General --\> accounts but even though I disable synchronization of Gmail, the accounts still show up in the calendar and gmail apps. How can I make these go away?

I use a rooted Note 3 on t-mobile.

Thanks!

# Answer
> 1 votes
On Android 6 and lower you can install Xposed Framework and then XPrivacy module for Xposed. In Xprivacy, deny access to accounts for the gmail app. Then add the account you want visible to the white list.

You can have a separate white list for every app, so you can have different accounts show for different apps.

Some apps get their account list from Google Play Services, and I've had weird things happen when trying to block accounts from that. But gmail and calendar work fine. Hangouts has a sign out feature, so you don't really need to block, but blocking works there, too.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I don't know whether this will hide your accounts from gmail but you can turn syncing off for gmail and calendar for accounts you don't want to sync..! You can change the account sync settings from within settings-\> Google then choose the account you want change sync settings of.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Honestly how you might so that, is a many varied answer. Bur it can be done. For instance. Android itself pretty much requires you to have a google account, its used as your primary backup. This account ibwouks suggest veing your most secured account. Being fortified with 2fa / ontpw and even havinf email or app prompts aby time the device is signed into or loged onto from a new source.

Then instead of signing your ither accounts into the device itself, you have the browsers. Firefox chrone chromium opera can all handle multiple accounts signed into then without actually being signed into the phone/pad itself. Almost all of the browsers have a way to lock thier access from from prying eyes. Chrome/chromium actually require you at least be signed into the app, just use another account youre not as concerned with hiding but havr if fortified also wth as man security mechanisms as gou can set. Firefox and opera also employ a sign in account for signing in and syncing.

---
Tags: sync, gmail
---


# Question
Title: Moto G5 Plus Wi-Fi disconnects every now and then
Moto G5 Plus (XT1686 - Boot-loader locked) running on Stock Android 8.1.0 with latest security patch(August 2018) disconnects from Wi-Fi network for no apparent reason. My device is right next to the Wi-Fi Router (Other devices have no issue with connection at the same location) , the Network strength is high. 10 seconds after getting disconnected from the network, it tries to connect back to the network and it works for another 2 minutes before getting disconnected from the network.

This issue occurs randomly (Could not blame/pinpoint certain installed Apps). I booted into Safe mode to check if it happens because of a particular App on my phone. But the issue occurred on Safe mode.Also, I don't think the problem is my Wi-Fi Router(D-Link DIR-600M) because the issue occurs with WiFi Routers at my workplace, Friend's home as well.

I tried every workaround mentioned in the forum here.

* I have turned OFF Turn off WiFi Scanning
* Forget Network, Add it back manually
* Tunnel the network through VPN
* I have factory reset several times hoping to fix the issue but to vain.
* I have reset the Wi-Fi network, changed Router configuration from Auto Channel to a fixed Channel
* I have changed the Router configuration - Security encryption method to WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK

I have no clue as to what is the issue here, I'll be grateful for any Fix / workarounds / Creative solutions. Let me know if you need any more information.

# Answer
Actually, the issue here seems fairly clear in looking at your troubleshooting... discounting the fact that your router is 9 years old and likely not up to current standards, you did state:

> I don't think the problem is my Wi-Fi Router(D-Link DIR-600M) because the issue occurs with WiFi Routers at my workplace, Friend's home as well.

Considering you have tried this on multiple networks and connections, and you have factory reset and performed a network reset multiple times, the conclusion can only be that your phone is defective. You should contact Moto for a warranty replacement, or just consider replacing it if it is no longer under warranty.

In looking at all the troubleshooting you have done, and given the above quoted statement you made there doesn't seem to be any other possible cause.

There is no known issue with WiFi on the Moto G5+ in any Android version or release, and since this is not related to a single router or connection, the issue seems quite clear, your Moto is defective.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, motorola-moto-g5
---


# Question
Title: Can't download due to no storage. I have enough storage
I keep getting a error saying cannot download not enough space. But according to my phone I have 429MB and the file I want downloaded is only 40.08MB. I don't want to use my SD card because the file will be deleted later but, it's needed now. What should I do?

# Answer
Do you have your permissions set for the app in which you are downloading from?! Sometimes you can't even save your settings if they can not write to the drive/device.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: internal-storage
---


# Question
Title: How can I make my android device think I am somewhere else in the world
I want my android device to think my phone is in The U.K so I can buy stuff in U.K pounds cheaper.

I have set up my google wallet for the U.K. And sure enough the prices display in U.K pounds, I've installed Amazon underground and the prices in Amazon underground display in pounds, but when I download apps and open them the prices are still in U.S dollars.

Or I have a "you are not eligible to purchase this app due to geographical restrictions".

I have all gps location sharing off, using wifi, and my google wallet is set up to the U.K

Any help out there?

# Answer
> 2 votes
1. Go to settings\> About Phone.
2. Click on build number seven times to activate developer options.
3. Go to Settings\>Developer Options.
4. Enable Mock Location.
5. Download any mock location app such as "Fake GPS" from the play store.
6. Go to the developer options again.
7. Select Mock location app and choose the app you downloaded.
8. turn off GPS. Open the app and select your new location.

If it does not work, probably the content provider is using your IP address to check your location. In that case, use a VPN service to spoof your location.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I use the TunnelBear VPN software for my Android 4.4 phone and Android 5.0 tablet.

I first used it when the Beeb showed that Edward Snowden interview that could not be viewed outside the UK. It worked just fine. Interesting interview; I have not yet seen it on American television.

You can find it at http://www.tunnelbear.com They allow you to use up to 500 MB per month for free to try it out.

It supports many countries around the world. Speed is fast enough to watch Netflx with it.

I use http://www.grc.com Shields-Up to verify the IP address it uses in various places around the world. I'm sure https://panopticlick.eff.org would work for this, too.

Once you know your VPN address you can do a traceroute (or Visual Trace) to see where you "are".

The best part is that on an Android it encrypts and tunnels ALL traffic. So as my Androids grabs onto the open WiFi at church it is all encrypted just like at home. It looks to the world like I am in another time zone.

On a PC it operates in Chrome and Opera by way of browser extensions, but all other traffic goes native.

I like it so much I paid their fee for unlimited data and never have turned it off. Being in the USA I find it prudent to only use the US connection so I am not crossing foreign borders. It can be switched very quickly and easily if I needed it for some special task. Even then I would stay within the USAUK countries only. But so far I have not had any reason to utilize anything outside the USA.

Bottom line is that it provides full-time encryption and tunneling for my Androids, and my virtual IP never reveals my actual state as far as I can tell.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can download a "fake GPS" app there are plenty on the Google play store. I recommend the one entitled "fake GPS" by Lexa apps. The icon is a yellow ball emoticon. You will also need to enter developer mode. Find your menu containigthe device vital information, tap on the section mentioning the Kernel approximately a half dozen or so times. You've activated developer mode!! Here's a gold star ...

Next under Dev menu, find the mock location setting and set the app as your default.

You can also use a VPN. some of them don't really work, but VPNTUNNEL.Com is affordable, reliable and actually works in changing your geoip.

---
Tags: gps, amazon-appstore
---


title: LinageOS update reboots into TWRP

text:
# Question
Title: LinageOS update reboots into TWRP
I downloaded the LinageOS update (linage-14.1-20181107-nightly-\*-signed.zip) and rebooted to complete the install. It booted into TWRP (3.2.3-0). What do I need to do?

# Answer
> 1 votes
You have to manually install the update by

1. Click `Install`.
2. Select the file `/data/linageos_updates/linage-*.zip`.

---
Tags: twrp
---


# Question
Title: TWRP accepting `adb` connections but no `fastboot` connections
I can connect to TWRP (3.2.3-0) with `adb` but `fastboot devices` does not list any and `fastboot continue` (while my phone is booted into TWRP) only prints:

```
$ fastboot continue
< waiting for any device >

```

I can rule out a driver problem since I have used `fastboot` successfully with the same combination of phone, cable and PC.

# Answer
ADB and fastboot are two different protocols. **Android Debugging Bridge** works in ROM or in Recovery mode, when adbd (adb daemon) is running on phone.

**Fastboot** is one of the most commonly used Firmware Update Protocols. It works in **bootloader mode** which is also called **download mode** or emergency download mode (**EDL**) by some vendors. Some devices have both modes where EDL provides more primary access as compared to fastboot. Some OEM's use different tools for firmware flashing such as **ODIN**, **nvFlash**, **QPST/QFIL** etc.

Bootloader mode is usually accessible by rebooting in bootloader mode from recovery or ROM, or by pressing Vol+ key when device is booting. Similarly EDL is accessible using different combinations of Vol+, Vol- and Power key.

Bootloader is one of the very first pieces of software that is loaded in booting process. **GRUB** is the most common one used on Linux PCs. On Android embedded devices, the most commonly used bootloader by SOC vendors is **ABOOT**. To know further about bootloaders, boot process and what we can do in adb/fastboot mode, have a look at given links:
> 1 votes

# Answer
You are confused about `fastboot`. It is not another `adb`. There is no fastboot server (in TWRP) which accepts connections. Rather it is a step/mode in the boot process of Android. Think of it as GRUB. You need to reboot your phone while the `fastboot` command is waiting for your device.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: twrp, fastboot
---


title: Can't see my device in Droid Explorer

text:
# Question
Title: Can't see my device in Droid Explorer
But my device still could be seen in `adb devices`, it said `List of devices attached
DU2TAN1581059861 device`

I've turned on usb debugging and MTP mode on my android.

Screenshot:

# Answer
> 1 votes
The format of the info returned by the

> adb devices -l

Appears to have changed. So the regular expression extracting the info doesn't work any more.

I have worked out a new one, but haven't worked out how to submit the change into the github repo.

---
Tags: droid-explorer
---


# Question
Title: What permissions does root give to an app?
All of the normal permissions are listed here, but it does not say anything about root permissions. I can't find the names of individual permissions anywhere else either so I am asking here.

# Answer
> 2 votes
From my understanding and past experience programming Android apps in rooted phones, getting root permissions in an app is to have access to everything.

Once a phone is rooted, you, the user, have access to the entire file system, which allows anything to happen with it, including apps modifying their own permissions.

Android is built on Linux, which means that `su`, or the root user, is the master user. Root user has the ability to do anything they want. Apps granted root permission can add, modify, or delete things as they please throughout the file system. Along with that, they have access to the APIs that control the hardware of the phone, which means that they are capable of doing anything without your knowing, among other things (reason 3).

**TL;DR** Root has access to everything and can do anything.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Root (superuser) is **not an app**, it is a user that runs various processes in the Linux kernel (upon which Android framework runs). The permissions you listed are applicable only for **system apps and third-party apps**. When an app is granted superuser access, it does its things as the root user (UID 0). Barring some SELinux policies, there is no restriction for the most powerful user in the device.

Do note that app permission model of Android is controlled by system user (user 1000), and system user is not at par with superuser, so latter can override anything which other users are capable of doing.

---
Tags: root-access, permissions
---


# Question
Title: Is possible to invoke an Android API without declaring the related permissions but with root access?
While reversing some malware, I have realized that despite they use an exploit that gives them root access, such malware declares a lot of permissions in the manifest.

Because (AFAIK) "normal" apps that require the `su` executable they still need to declare the permissions in the manifest, because the `su` command just launches a child process with elevated (root, in this case) access.

Android malware reversing isn't my full-time job, but in my little experience this is the most common pattern among malicious apps:

1. exploit -\> root access
2. change permission or remount partition
3. steal data from other apps

Thus, my question is: is possible to invoke an Android API (more precisely, the Java API framework) without declaring the related permissions but with root access?

I guess the answer is yes, but I think it's a twisted process, so it's easier to declare a lot of permissions (but it sticks out like a sore thumb).

# Answer
The framework APIs do check for required permissions, so if you want to use those APIs, you do need the required permissions in the manifest. But of course, the root user can do any action regardless of permissions: it's just extra programming work to do the same low-level actions that the Android framework would do.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: root-access, malware
---


title: Wifi password connection problem

text:
# Question
Title: Wifi password connection problem
When I enter my password on my phone (Motorola) to connect to wifi it says it is incorrect but it's not. How can I fix this?

# Answer
> 2 votes
in the list of wifi networks, try the following:

* long press on the network that has this issue
* choose 'forget' to let Android forget the stored password
* tap on the network again (it will now only show when it's in range) to try and

connect and Android will ask you for the password.

---
Tags: wi-fi
---


# Question
Title: S7 Edge stuck on loading screen with Samsung logo
I have used my S7 since 2017. Then I got another phone. After three months of being in a box, I tried to power up the S7 Edge. I got surprised as it now is stuck on Samsung logo screen.

Phone was charged and was working before I put it in a box. When I took it out, it would not respond at all, battery was dried totally. Even being charged 100% does not fix the issue. These are the steps I tried: 1. Wipe cache partition 2. Master reset 3. Safe mode 4. Reboot to bootloader

All of them do not work, phone is always stuck with Samsung splash screen. When I enter the Volume DOWN, Home and Power key menu, I see the message: Installing System Update (stays for several seconds), then it shows error. After that I enter Android recovery.

Phone responds to charging normally. It has that animation showing power percentage when its turned off.

Any advice as what program and what I need to do to restore the phone so it can boot is more then welcome :).

# Answer
> 1 votes
It's been a while since I last owned a Samsung, but my best guess would be to try and flash a new ROM using Odin. Here's a link that explains how to do this. https://forums.androidcentral.com/ambassador-guides-tips-how-tos/499009-guide-samsung-how-flash-stock-rom-via-odin-new-interface.html

on Sammobile, you'll find the original Samsung ROMs, which are normally safe to flash as long as you pick the correct one for your device.

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


# Question
Title: Getting "App not installed" when trying to install apps from APK files
I can install apps from Google Play Store, just not from APK files. Every time I press Install, it keeps saying "app not installed".

I tried rebooting, restarting, but still can't install.

How to fix this?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Navigate to "System & Device" -\> "Additional Settings" -\> "Privacy" -\> "Unknown Sources" (Enable this "Unknown Sources" option to allow installation of apps from unknown sources)

---

Adding more information as on date 11/14/2018 based on the comments: Apk related issue can occur due to the following. Please give it a try and let me know your observations.

Hoping that the APk file is not corrupted/infected and you are facing this issue with every APK file

1) Storage Location - Try checking if the apk is trying to install on Android device’s internal memory/storage or else where. By this we can ensure apk is getting installed in the correct path where you have access.

2) Check if SD Card is mounted or not in the Device Try by going to Settings -\> Storage -\> Mount SD Card -\> Restart device and try installing

3) Application Permissions - Software operations running in the background are set not to allow the installation of third-party software, it is also one reason why app not installed error on Android happens.

Go to Settings \> Apps \> Reset App Preferences/ Reset Application Permissions. After this, third-party software can be installed on your device.

---
Tags: installation, apk
---


title: How to unlock an LG mp260?

text:
# Question
Title: How to unlock an LG mp260?
How do I unlock and root an LG MP260? My LG v30 was stolen and I am trying to use an older phone from Metro PCS on my T-Mobile account until I can replace it.

# Answer
> 0 votes
When I moved my phone from MetroPCS to T-Mobile, I did not need to unlock it. Since MetroPCS is now a T-Mobile brand, it should be easy.

---
Tags: rooting, lg, sim-unlocking
---


# Question
Title: How to Audit Android Apps (for screenshot activity)
How do I audit my android's apps to determine which apps are taking screenshots of my activity?

I recently installed & ran diskdigger to undelete an image I had accidentally deleted, but the image remnants that diskdigger found were shocking. There were dozens (maybe \>100?) screenshots of my activity--ranging from innocuous shots of my home screen to images taken when I was inside my (encrypted) chat apps and bitcoin wallet.

Needless to say, I did not take or delete these screenshots.

My phone is a rooted Nexus 5X running Lineage OS 15-1 (Android 8.1.0). I'm using mostly software from fdroid, though I do have a few sideloaded from yalp (I don't have gapps installed), such as whatsapp and diskdigger.

How do I audit the apps that I have installed to determine what is responsible for taking (then deleting) these screenshots of my activity? To start, how do I:

1. List all of my apps, sorted by number of times the app has taken a
screenshot since installed
2. List all of my apps, sorted by number of times the app has written a file to disk since installed
3. Generate a log and/or toast every time a screenshot is taken--recording the timestamp, app responsible, and filename
4. Generate a log and/or toast every time an app writes a file to disk--recording the timestamp, app responsible, and filename
5. Generate a log and/or toast every time an app deletes a file from disk--recording the timestamp, app responsible, and filename

TIA!

# Answer
> 4 votes
Taking a screenshot requires root or system permissions (or an root exploit). I assume your ROM is a official Lineage release. Assuming further that their signing key has not leaked the app you are searching for should use root permissions is part of the OS. Therefore a first step would be revoke all allowances for apps to use root permissions.

> 1. List all of my apps, sorted by number of times the app has taken a screenshot since installed

Android is an OS optimized for Smartphones with flash memory. Flash memory degrades by writing to it, therefore Android is optimized to reduce write operations. Therefore Android does not create extensive log files. Only some small logs in RAM exists (e.g. logcat). Hence AFAIK there is no such thing like a log that records which app has created a screenshot.

> 2. List all of my apps, sorted by number of times the app has written a file to disk since installed

Again there is no such log. However if the app is still active you can monitor "disk" activity using the inotifywait-for-Android - a command-line application that can record read and/or write access to certain folder on your phone. It looks like you have to compile it yourself using NDK before using it - I did not found an pre-compiled version.

A similar API as used by inotifytools is available to Android apps, therefore there may be apps providing similar functionality.

> 3. Generate a log and/or toast every time a screenshot is taken--recording the timestamp, app responsible, and filename

If the screenshots you found were created using the `screencap` binary (the android tool for creating screenshots which is included in Android) you could try to replace this binary with some other binary.

However if the screenshots were created using a different way I don't see a way to detect or prevent this.

> 4. Generate a log and/or toast every time an app writes a file to disk--recording the timestamp, app responsible, and filename.
> 5. Generate a log and/or toast every time an app deletes a file from disk--recording the timestamp, app responsible, and filename

-\> See what I wrote in (2.) about inotifytools

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can also use selinux policy rules in permissive mode to audit an android application, but Google intentionally makes this extremely difficult.

In case anyone is interested, I ended up finding the source of the screenshot images: it is Android's built-in "recent apps" switcher. For more info, I documented my investigation process and findings on my blog

---
Tags: root-access, security, data-recovery, privacy, screenshots
---


# Question
Title: Is music bought from Google Play Music DRM-free?
It is clear to me that with a subscription to Google Play Music you can only play "your" music (either online or offline) with Google Play Music player (see Google music: offline listening after subscription expires?). De facto, music is not actually yours: you just own the right to listen to it.

What is not clear to me, and I have not been able to find an answer for, is: what if I actually *buy* a track on Google Play Store? Can I move the MP3 to any "dumb" MP3 player and listen at it there? In other words: is it DRM-free?

# Answer
It is not DRM protected

**source:**

and
> 8 votes

# Answer
The song is yours. Simply install Music Manager for Google Play Music on your computer to download your songs. I think it's also possible from the website just haven't tried that.
> 5 votes

# Answer
Note that they do put a secret tag on their files, which restricts adding it to other Google Play accounts. Say, for example, you change your email address, they don't give you the ability to move it or share it with users in your own household.

You need to get and install eyed3, which does take a little technical expertise, and run this command:

```
eyeD3.exe --remove-frame PRIV ./

```

I tried looking and deleting it using a UI, such as Foobar2000 with it's advanced tools, but it still didn't see that tag.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: google-play-music, mp3
---


# Question
Title: How to get the IMEI number of a lost phone?
I lost my Android phone Vivo 1713 (v5s) recently. I don't know its IMEI number. How do I get it?

# Answer
Login to the "Find my Device" page with your Google Account that was used on your phone. Your phone should be listed. Click the "!" button to see the IMEI number of the phone. You should see something like this:
> 1 votes

---
Tags: lost-phone, imei
---


# Question
Title: Can I really edit my Telegram messages only with the desktop client?
I use Telegram both on my desktop and my mobile phone. On the desktop, I can edit messages I've sent, but on the mobile Telegram client I can't find this option anywhere. Does it really not exist or am I missing something. Or - should I look for an unofficial client for this feature?

Note:

* If I tap a message in a Telegram conversation view, the 'Message' context menu only has "Reply|Copy|Forward|Delete" - and no "Edit".
* My client version is `4.9.1 (1361) arm-v7a`

# Answer
> 3 votes
A simple *tap* on a message you sent recently will bring up the action menu containing "Edit".

---
Tags: instant-messaging, telegram, editing
---


title: Sharing via bluetooth disappeared?

text:
# Question
Title: Sharing via bluetooth disappeared?
I don't know when it actually went missing since I haven't had a use for bluetooth transfers lately. But when I recently tried to share an image to a friend via bluetooth, I found that the option wasn't there anymore. How do I retrieve it and what could have caused it to disappeare in the first place?

This is on ICS 4.0.4, rooted, unlocked bootloader.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I don't think it's a bug. Google have un-intuitively moved it around in ICS. Try this.

Open Gallery\> select menu button \> tap "select items" \> select a photo \> now tap the share icon. All the sharing options should now be visible.

# Answer
> 0 votes
This is why you select multiple files instead of one file just select one file and click to share you can find the Bluetooth option there

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Tags: bluetooth
---


title: Run android on windows 7

text:
# Question
Title: Run android on windows 7
All I want to do running Android on Windows 7 is using whatsapp for certain group discussion.

I tried BlueStacks, but it causing keyboard issue, at many times, certain key act like got stuck, keep repeating, and when this happen, I have to restart my windows. quit the bluestack won't help.

now I want to try other (free) option, any recommendation? youwave is not free. I come across this androvm, but the file type is ova , no idea how to run it at present.

just to re-clarify:

I already running WhatsApp over BlueStack on my Windows 7 64 bits.

But it comes with a side effect, very bad. At time, my keyboard seems like got 1 key stuck, and keep repeatively pressing it unstopped.

the keyboard is absolute fine. I kill/quit BlueStack if I don't plan to use the WhatsApp, which is auto-start whenever i login.

when the funny keyboard issue happened, the only way to resolve it is reboot, quit the BlueStack won't help at all.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You could simply unplug the keyboard and plug it back in. Works for me every time.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You could install the Android SDK and run an instance of Android through the emulator. Probably not the simplest solution but the emulator usually runs pretty well for developers.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Absolutely. You can use **Andy** for Windows. It's heavy software but extremely powerful for testing or just having fun!

Andy is definitely the simplest option.

# Answer
> -2 votes
You can use Bluestacks; works as emulator.

---
Tags: windows
---


# Question
Title: Backup not listed to restore from on new Android device
I have 3 android devices synced to the same Google account:

* OnePlus One running Lineage OS 15.1 (up to date, not currently rooted)
* NVidia SHIELD Tablet K1
* OnePlus 3T - new, in factory reset state

I am trying to move all of my apps and data from the `One` to the `3T`. Google Drive on the `One` shows under "Backups" (text translated from Spanish w/best guesses from context, etc):

* Backup from A0001 - today at 21:49
* Backup from NVidia SHIELD Tablet K1 - today at 10:57

However, booting the `3T`, setting up the SIM, Wifi, and copying Google account information over using "Set up my device", entering account password, skipping "share my data" questions gets me eventually to the restore screen, which shows only the `K1` backup to restore from.

How can I fully restore from my `One` to the `3T`? I estimate reinstalling all of my apps (from 3 sources - Play store, F-Droid, and Humble Bundle) and getting data syncing working and synced for my personal data to take at least 5 hours, and would not include call data, chrome tabs, game saves, etc - so anything faster than that is fair game. I have set up `ADB` for my `One` and used it for file transfers a number of times, and can probably set it up for the 3T, so `ADB` is fair game.

Edit: currently open tabs on this issue (might save some time):

# Answer
> 1 votes
Summarizing from comments ;

* OP has been unsuccessful in restoring from Google Drive trying the solutions linked in the question
* Using is not an option as bootloader is unlocked on the old device but on the new device Safety Net would be tripped if unlocked and rooted, apart from wiping data
* Only option left is to take a back up as explained here (using `adb`} How to fully backup non-rooted devices?. It has limitations so it's recommended to understand and test it out

---
Tags: restore, lineageos, oneplus-one, oneplus-3
---


# Question
Title: How to make a full backup and restore (including ROM) using Windows PC via USB?
This should be simple, but apparently, it is not.

I want to make a full backup of my Xiaomi MI A2 (ROM, App, Data, All) to my Windows PC via USB.

If there is a problem (boot loop, crash, anything), I want to restore the entire backup to it so that it stays EXACTLY the same as before the backup (same ROM, same apps, same data, anyway, all the same), like a **time machine**.

How to do this?

# Answer
Flash (or temporarily boot) a custom recovery like TWRP, and you'll be able to make a Nandroid backup. It typically includes the boot image, the system image and your internal data (excluding Pictures, Musics, Downloads etc.).

When you restore a Nandroid backup, everything goes back to the exact state before the backup.

You won't be able to back up the boot image and the system image easily otherwise.

You can read more at the tag wiki of our tag.

**Note**: Even booting temporarily into TWRP requires an unlocked bootloader (if it's previously locked). If you haven't previously unlocked it, be aware that doing so wipes out all data on your phone, including your internal storage where your pictures, musics and downloads reside.
> 2 votes

# Answer
If TWRP is not an option for you (locked bootloader, unsupported device etc), you may want to check out Helium. Helium is a no-root adb-based solution similar in principle to TWRP. It transfers (bi-directional) apps and also the critically important app data. There are two installs, the app on your android and the companion program on your PC.

If (big if, I know) you know where all your files are, you could just use an ftp server on your android to push to and pull from PC.

Check out Where Android apps store data? if you'd like to go that route. And if you're new to FTP, there's a good tutorial at https://www.guidingtech.com/use-ftp-server-file-transfer-android/

Hope this helps.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: backup, restore, windows, xiaomi
---


title: Adding Internet Icalendar

text:
# Question
Title: Adding Internet Icalendar
Is there some way to subscribe to an internet calendar on Android without logging into Google calendar and adding it there?

# Answer
> 0 votes
This is not possible in normal way, but can be done with a bit tricky.

You can visits https://calendar.google.com/calendar/r/settings -\> Left panel -\> "Add calendar" -\> "Browse calendars of interest" -\> "Regional holiday" -\> Select and Tick "Holidays in specific country" -\> It will add to left panel under section "Settings for other calendars" -\> Click it -\> "Integrate calendar":

There are two methods:

* The "Public URL" can be direct open in Android web browser and use its "Add to Home screen" option to make a shortcut on screen. The advantage is you can always get the latest date, but you can't get event notification.
* The "Public address in iCal format" can be open in Android web browser and download as .ics file. Before open .ics file, ensure delete the cache/data storage of system app called "Calendar Storage" in app settings first (Need to choose "shows system app/processes" to see that app). And you may also need to navigate in "Accounts" -\> "Google" -\> All Gmail -\> turn off Calendar sync. After open the file with "Google Calendar" app, it by default will reside "Phone" OR "Holidays" category. Choose "ADD ALL" to add all events to calendar. Finally relaunch the calendar app, you should able to see the latest events added by .ics file up to next one year. If it doesn't showing, swipe the left panel and tick "Phone"(Huawei P9 Lite) OR "Holidays"(LG Nexus 5X) to shows. Note that upper right "refresh" option can toggle back Gmail events, it's up to you. The disavantage of this method is its event is fixed on .ics file and will not up to date without re-download and re-add. And I noticed I must clear "Calendar Storage" data cache (Gmail events) first or else it will popup a toast about incomplete to add all events. One thing you should know is the events timeline in Google Calendar app actually saved inside "Calendar Storage" system app data cache which can share to other app, not its data cache.

---
Tags: calendar
---


# Question
Title: What does "messages" mean in the Priority Only settings in Do Not Disturb?
In the DND (Do Not Disturb) settings in Android 8.1 there is an option to allow "Priority Only" notifications through. You can set what types of things qualify for priority (e.g., someone calling twice in a 15 minute period).

One of the options there is "Messages" which you can set to anyone, contacts only, starred contacts only or none.

However, what "messages" does this apply to? Is it only from hangouts or the builting messaging app? Is it SMS messages?

For example, I'd like WhatsApp messages from certainly people to come through, but I doubt Android knows how to match up the sending of a message from a third-party messaging to my contacts list?

# Answer
I checked this about an year ago when I had hangouts installed

All messages (including text) that use GCM were blocked. WhatsApp doesn't use GCM so they will be received
> 1 votes

# Answer
If it's just phone contacts, then it's just phone contacts. If it's a Google thing, as long as you got contacts on your Google account, then that will still go through. Look at it like messenger and phone (SMS) messages.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: notifications, sms, do-not-disturb
---


title: Tablet won't recognize OTG flash drive

text:
# Question
Title: Tablet won't recognize OTG flash drive
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0. It's up to date with everything. Up until just now, I've never had a problem connecting external storage devices to my tablet using an OTG cable. Earlier today, it worked fine.

Later, I tried to connect a device but it wouldn't mount. I tried a second cable. I then tried a different USB storage device. No luck. I tried rebooting the tablet. No luck. (One of the devices asks if I want to connect and that came on for a second then disappeared. Since then no luck with anything.)

This happened once before and by blowing air into the micro USB port I must have dislodged some dust and it worked. I tried that again but had no luck.

The SD card in the SD card slot is working fine.

To recap, I have tried:

* Three different OTG cables
* Two different USB storage devices
* Restart, turn on and off, soft reset of the tablet.
* OTG troubleshooter isn't finding any OTG even when physically connected.

Any ideas on how to fix this?

# Answer
USB settings are likely clobbered. Samsung tech support cleared up the issue for me with these steps:

1. Go to Settings → Apps → click on 3 dot menu → Show system apps → USB settings → Storage
2. Clear data (will not remove files or personal data)→Settings→General Management→ Reset (will not remove files or personal data)→Reset settings.
3. Approve all in the second step and tablet will automatically restart.

I tested with an OTG device and mine worked.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: samsung, usb-on-the-go
---


# Question
Title: How to regain access to phone when unable to use password and fingerprint?
I use a Samsung S5 (Globe LTE) which has a fingerprint security system, but I forgot the password, and I can't use the fingerprint anymore. What should I use? Should I do factory reset or hard reset? Also, my phone is lagging.

# Answer
"Factory reset" and "hard reset" are just different names for the same thing. Just make sure you know the password for your Google account, as you'll need it after you factory reset.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You may try PUK code ( located on SIM card ) to unlock if tried too many attempt of pin. But I'm not sure it works or not in your phone model.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: locked-out
---


# Question
Title: Why Gallery and Music app are unable to read SD card storage while a file explorer can?
I checked my phone after a while (after 3 hours), and I found that all of my photos and songs were not there anymore. I checked my ES file explorer, because by default, I have Google files (which is not a good way to manage files). I saw everything was fine in ES explorer.

I rebooted the phone a couple of times and even pulled out and reinserted my SD card but it didn't work.

How can the problem be fixed?

# Answer
Since you can access your music and pictures just fine from your file explorer, that usually means that it is being ignored by a `.nomedia` file.

Try to delete the .nomedia files from `/sdcard`, `/sdcard/Music`, `/sdcard/Pictures`, and `/sdcard/DCIM`.

If you have access to a terminal app on your phone, try the following commands:

```
cd /sdcard/ #Or  cd /mnt/sdcard or  cd /storage/sdcard0 if that doesn't work
rm -r ".nomedia"

```

(Note that the above commands will delete ALL `.nomedia` files from your phone, so other files (from app caches) will also appear.) Alternatively, you could put your SD card in your computer, use the file manager to search for .nomedia, and delete all the .nomedia files it finds.

After deleting the `.nomedia` files, your Gallery and Music apps should see your pictures and music.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: sd-card, 8.1-oreo, media-files
---


# Question
Title: How to completely remove spam bots from Telegram groups?
I'm managing a small Telegram groups. Unfortunately a couple of days ago a user added a bot to the group. I immediately removed/banned that user and the bot. However all other member still see the bot on their Telegram messenger:

which when selected expands to:

I have looked everywhere but for the love of god I can't find any way to remove it entirely from the group. I would appreciate if you could help me with this.

# Answer
> 2 votes
This is because the bot that has been added sent a ReplyKeyboard as its ReplyMarkup. This ReplyMarkup are the button(s) you see at the bottom of the chat. To remove this you might want to add a bot that can send AND remove the Keyboard.

I know that @combot can do this with it's command `!nokeyboard`. This will send a keyboard to everyone in the chat and instantly remove it.

Hopefully this will help.

---
Tags: telegram
---


# Question
Title: My phone dials #3282 (#DATA) by itself. Which app did it?
For about the last month, I occasionally find my Cricket Samsung Amp Prime (Android 7.1.1) dialing #3282 (#DATA) without me initiating it. According to my call log, it started on October 1, 2018. It has happened about 6 or 7 times over about five weeks, with no noticeable pattern. It *does* seem to happen after I've been actively using the phone. On Cricket, this results in a "Your call can not be completed as dialed" message. I think it used to be an active feature but is no more.

I suspect that an app update is behind this, but I'm not sure which one. I have about 20 apps with phone permission enabled. Is there a way to log when an app uses phone privileges? Or straighter to the point, does anyone know which app might be causing this?

# Answer
In my case, the app was Nova Launcher. I had recently enabled the permissions needed for gestures, and presumably, one of the defaults is to dial #DATA when a user swipes down on the screen.

To disable this gesture, start Nova Launcher, go to **Settings**, and edit the **Swipe Down** gesture (or whichever gesture is assigned) and choose **None** or another action.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: permissions, logging, call-history
---


# Question
Title: How to delete SuperSu and changes it made
I inherited a Moto G3 which I unlocked and installed TWRP and a custom ROM. I foolishly attempted to install SuperSu. It supposedly changes some system files. Now I want it off the phone. In any event, there is no obvious way for me to uninstall SuperSu and system files which were changed.

I did some Internet research. One site said I had to reinstall the stock recovery and ROM. That sounds like a lot of extra effort, and I don't think any changes got made to TWRP. As far as I can determine, any changes took place in the System partition.

My question is this:

*Would it work for me to boot to recovery and use TWRP to do an advanced wipe of the Dalvik Cache, Data, Cache, and System partitions?*

Yes, I know then I need to reinstall the ROM and GAPPS. That's OK, I did not make many changes I need to retain.

Thanks.

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you installed "SuperSu.zip" using TWRP Flashing, then you can also uninstall it by flashing the uninstall.zip

---
Tags: file-system
---


title: Alarm not sounding on an Honor 6X

text:
# Question
Title: Alarm not sounding on an Honor 6X
Note: I have researched this online, but none of the answers seem to work.

Currently, my honor 6X does not make any alarm sound. Obviously, this can lead to some predictable problems. I've made sure of the following:

1. My volume, ringer, alarm, and calls are all turned to max.
2. My regular volume works perfectly
3. I am using the default clock app
4. I deleted all my alarms and tried again, to no avail
5. My phone was restarted (I do not want to do a factory restart unless that is the only possible solution)
6. The alarm pops up, but has no sound
7. I gave clock priority over other apps and gave it all the permissions possible
8. I've tried different alarm sounds and reset it to the default
9. I have turned off Bluetooth
10. I have cleared all other apps
11. I have turned off the Android given task manager
12. I have no other clock apps
13. Although, my phone *is* rooted, but for over a year now, and have only encountered this problem very recently, so I think I can cross that off my list.

I am completely lost now on what to do, I have basically tried everything possible. So how in the world can I get this to work? Any opinion or idea would be greatly appreciated

# Answer
you can also try the following two methods.

1. In the **Settings - Smart Assist - Gesture setting**, there is an alarm to turn the mute to see if it is caused by flipping the phone and causing the alarm to be muted.
2. Wait for the new version and upgrade to the latest version
> 1 votes

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Tags: huawei, alarm
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# Question
Title: Cannot flash twrp-3.2.3-0-cedric.img (Motorola Moto G5) ("Image not signed or corrupt")
I have followed all the steps of this guy but flashing `twrp-3.2.3-0-cedric.img` failed.

When I open my Ubuntu console and type `fastboot flash recovery /home/username/folder/twrp-3.2.3-0-cedric.img`, it says:

```
(bootloader) slot-count: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) has-slot:recovery: not found
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'recovery' (14572 KB)...
OKAY [  0.463s]
writing 'recovery'...
(bootloader) Image not signed or corrupt
OKAY [  0.502s]
finished. total time: 0.965s

```

What did I do wrong? Did I use the wrong version? Looking at this similar problem did not help me. `sudo fastboot flash recovery /home/username/folder/twrp-3.2.3-0-cedric.img` does not help either.

# Answer
The locked bootloader doesn’t let unsigned images to be flashed. So, the `Image not signed...` error indicates that there is a possibility of the bootloader not being unlocked.

* Make sure the bootloader is unlocked.
* Make sure you are using right version of TWRP for your device.
* Try `fastboot boot /path/to/twrp.img` instead of flashing. If it boots, flash the recovery image from within the recovery. Afterwards, any `zip` should be successfully flashed (custom ROM, GApps, mods etc.).
> 4 votes

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Tags: twrp, fastboot, linux, lineageos, motorola-moto-g5
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