# Question
Title: What exactly can Outlook remote-wipe when using multiple accounts and how I can I prevent havoc via root?
On my Huawei P20lite I can add multiple users or use the "Private Space" feature (which to my understanding boils down to just another user account as well). Now, from the screenshots in another SE question:

What gets me worried is the "Erase *all* data" permission. So assuming I'd set up a secondary account and my employers IT decides to trigger this remote wipe, will only that account's data be affected or would this concern the entire phone? What will happen to my SD card data?

My phone is rooted, is there any way I can ensure that this can only wipe Outlook data (if anything at all)?

# Answer
> 1 votes
What data can be wiped? All data on the device can be wiped, it can allow Outlook (actually Exchange server, hosted Exchange server in the case of Office 365) to perform a full factory reset without your intervention, meaning no PIN, no password, or other intervention from the user. If someone issued an erase all data command from the Exchange console to your device, it would be completely factory defaulted and you could not stop it. - Source is personal experience as a system administrator, and Perform a remote wipe on a mobile phone. This has been a feature in Exchange for well over 10 years so it is nothing new.

That sounds super scary, but in reality this is extremely common with connecting to any Exchange server, and although I personally think the other restrictions on this particular account are extreme, they are not uncommon, and maybe appropriate for your organization. The intent of these permissions is to secure your organization's data, plain and simple.

In my 25+ years of experience working in IT, I have only ever heard of this feature being used maliciously once but the company involved got sued for a hefty amount (again, this is hearsay, I cannot prove or document it to be true or false). My point in saying that is that illicit use of this feature is extremely rare and should not generally be considered a problem or issue worth worrying about. That said, I have heard more than one story of an employee being terminated and a wipe command issued and they lost all of their own personal data, that is considered acceptable and legal in most cases. I have been in situations where this had to be done, and if at all feasible we warn the employee that they must immediately delete their corporate account from their device, and have 24 hours, or until the end of the day, then we will issue a device wipe. If the account has been removed from the device, nothing will happen, if the account still exists the device will be wiped. This is really only an issue where organizations allow BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), organizations where data security is of the utmost importance generally do not allow this and will issue devices with this and various other security measures implemented.

Remember that if someone did issue a wipe command to your device, it would be logged, and if it was done maliciously then the most likely result is that person would be terminated immediately, if they were not I would strongly reconsider whether your employer is correct for you.

And you do not need root to "bypass" this restriction, just install an isolated Exchange client like Nine (as an example) which will allow full access to all Exchange services (email, calendar, contacts, etc) and give permission to Exchange to wipe the account information, NOT the entire device, if Exchange sends a wipe all data command, Nine will wipe all data related to that Exchange account. Be aware that using such a client, or a feature of your device that prevents this feature, may be in violation of your corporate security policy and you should verify that with your organization's IT staff. In many organizations, violation of IT security policy can be grounds for termination.

---
Tags: accounts, outlook, magisk, remote-wipe
---


# Question
Title: Fix "android.process.acore keeps stopping" when the contacts provider can't load it's db
My phone just decided that it should spam an exception onto my screen that reopens as soon as I tap it away.

A look at logcat reveals the following being thrown multiple times per second:

```
SQLiteLog: (14) cannot open file at line 34327 of [605907e73a]
SQLiteLog: (14) os_unix.c:34327: (13) open(/data/user/0/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db-shm) -
SQLiteLog: (14) statement aborts at 1: [PRAGMA user_version;] unable to open database file
SQLiteLog: (14) cannot open file at line 34327 of [605907e73a]
SQLiteLog: (14) os_unix.c:34327: (13) open(/data/user/0/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db-shm) -
AndroidRuntime: FATAL EXCEPTION: Worker-1
AndroidRuntime: Process: android.process.acore, PID: 9149
AndroidRuntime: android.database.sqlite.SQLiteCantOpenDatabaseException: unable to open database file (code 14)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.database.sqlite.SQLiteConnection.nativeExecuteForLong(Native Method)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.database.sqlite.SQLiteConnection.executeForLong(SQLiteConnection.java:599)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.database.sqlite.SQLiteSession.executeForLong(SQLiteSession.java:652)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.database.sqlite.SQLiteStatement.simpleQueryForLong(SQLiteStatement.java:107)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.database.DatabaseUtils.longForQuery(DatabaseUtils.java:842)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.database.DatabaseUtils.longForQuery(DatabaseUtils.java:830)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.database.sqlite.SQLiteDatabase.getVersion(SQLiteDatabase.java:940)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.database.sqlite.SQLiteOpenHelper.getDatabaseLocked(SQLiteOpenHelper.java:311)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.database.sqlite.SQLiteOpenHelper.getReadableDatabase(SQLiteOpenHelper.java:262)
AndroidRuntime:        at com.android.providers.contacts.LegacyApiSupport.<init>(LegacyApiSupport.java:499)
AndroidRuntime:        at com.android.providers.contacts.ContactsProvider2.initForDefaultLocale(ContactsProvider2.java:1668)
AndroidRuntime:        at com.android.providers.contacts.ContactsProvider2.performBackgroundTask(ContactsProvider2.java:1759)
AndroidRuntime:        at com.android.providers.contacts.ContactsProvider2$1.onPerformTask(ContactsProvider2.java:1615)
AndroidRuntime:        at com.android.providers.contacts.ContactsTaskScheduler$MyHandler.handleMessage(ContactsTaskScheduler.java:77)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:106)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:164)
AndroidRuntime:        at android.os.HandlerThread.run(HandlerThread.java:65)

```

My guess would be, that - for whatever reason - the contacts provider was assigned a different user ID and has now lost access to it's own database. I would guess, that if I clear the database the issue is gone.

Still, I don't want to lose my contacts. I have a backup but that's old enough to say that I would lose some. I'm convinced that the file is still there and I can probably just open it as sqlite file once I gain access but I have no clue on how to achieve this. Trying to work with the `com.android.providers.contacts` package in adb always leaves me with "package not debuggable".

My Phone is a non-rooted Moto G5 Plus running Android 8.1

Is there a way to backup my contacts or are they gone? Also: Can I maybe just remove the `*.db-shm` file that seems to be the problem here? As far as I remember that's only some temp file for sqlite anyways.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I posted this question trying to find a solution for about an hour and just 10 minutes later I finally found it myself.

Going into the `adb shell` and running

```
pm clear com.android.providers.contacts

```

does not require root privileges and clears the cache, which seems to include the `*.db-shm` file.

*I'm keeping this question here for future reference*

EDIT: This was a misinformation. After further inspection I found out that, `pm clear` does in fact clear **all app data**, so **don't run it if you only want to clear an app's cache**. That command is essentially the same as clicking on the `Clear Data` button in the app preferences.

The reason why this worked out for me is, that the contacts themselves are stored separately. The `com.android.providers.contacts` package loads the contacts from that other place and provides it to other apps and therefore is called contacts *provider*.

The data in the provider's db seems to only be things like the call log and the contacts you recently shared something with. Deleting this data is totally fine and fixes the issue.

---
Tags: contacts, storage, system, sqlite
---


title: One Plus 5 does not appears in ADB

text:
# Question
Title: One Plus 5 does not appears in ADB
I wish to install an another OS on my OnePlus 5 phone. At least try...

So I follow the various guides on the web, valid developer options, click on "unlock OEM" and "USB debugging". OK. I also install adb as well as android udev rules on my linux desktop. The phone itself is on android 9.

Then when I plug in a USB cable (from the manufacturer), I can get some notifications in dmesg only. Not in lsusb.

So far I can see (in dmesg) the phone plugged in usb only when it's on usb tethering.

And I can never see it in the adb devices list. Nor can I see any prompt on the phone asking me to validate my computer RSA fingerprint.

Someone got a suggestion ?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Just bought a brand new cable. Phone is recognized by the computer and install' is done in the minute.

---
Tags: adb, usb, usb-debugging, 9.0-pie
---


# Question
Title: Why reading permission to /proc/1/maps is denied and why doesn't the denial appear in logcat?
I'm developing a native app for Android, and I'm occasionally confronted with permission denied which doesn't trigger a log in the logcat logs. For example, trying to run:

```
shell@kltevzw:/ $ cat /proc/<some-not-shell-pid>/maps
/system/bin/sh: cat: /proc/<some-not-shell-pid>/maps: Permission denied

```

from the adb shell prompt results in a permission denied message sent to stderr, but nothing appears in the logcat. It's not a unix permissions problem as well, as anyone should be able to read the file. For example:

```
shell@kltevzw:/ $ ls -lZ /proc/1/maps
-r--r--r-- root     root              u:r:init:s0 maps

```

It happens in some other situations as well, in which I have less control of the environment. Is it possible that this is caused by some dontaudit rules in the policy? I ran sesearch --dontaudit /sepolicy but didn't find there any relevant rules. Does anyone here know why are some denials sent to the log and some don't, and how to debug such cases?

Thanks!

# Answer
**REASON 1:**

Apart from traditional **Discretionary Access Control** (DAC), - that makes use of \*NIX owner/group/mode of processes/files to allow/deny access - Android implements several other access control mechanisms of Linux kernel to make itself more secure, such as Seccomp Filter was implemented in Oreo.

**REASON 2:**

While DAC is `allowed by-default`, SELinux (a **Mandatory Access Control**) works in `denied by-default` mode. Any access attempt that isn't explicitly allowed in an SE Policy rule will be denied. Using same, access to `/proc`fs has been tightened in Android O which won't let a non-privileged process/user read - e.g. - /proc/stat and `/proc/filesystem`. Same restricts you from reading `/proc/1` when running as a non-root user from your app.

If SELinux on your device isn't `Enforcing`, you should be able to read `/proc/1` but there are some other security restrictions which - unlike DAC and MAC - are specific to `/proc` pseudo filesystem.

**REASON 3:**

Android by-default mounts `/proc` with **hidepid=2,gid=3009** options, which means a non-privileged user will be able to view only its own processes (running with same UID) <sup>(ref)</sup>. So your app won't be able to see directory `/proc/1`. The only exception is the processes which are member of group AID\_READPROC (GID 3009).

**REASON 4:**

But still if you (re-)mount `/proc` without option `hidepid`, you won't be able to read `/proc/1/maps` because Linux kernel only permits processes having capability SYS\_PTRACE to read the details of currently **mapped memory regions**.

An example of working non-root process on Android is incidentd that runs with `CAP_SYS_PTRACE` as well as a member of group `READPROC`. Also the SE Policy rule like following should be defined to allow access:

```
allow incidentd init : file { read getattr open }

```

**LOGGING:**

As far as logging of permission denials is concerned, `logd` (the service from which `logcat` reads) is an Android specific logging daemon which necessarily logs events from within Android's native and Java framework (such as manifest permission denials), but optionally includes kernel events (which we can also see using native command line tool `dmesg`). SELinux denials are also logged to kernel log:

```
$ ls /proc/1
ls: cannot access '/proc/1': Permission denied

# dmesg | grep avc
[37914.650314] type=1400 audit(1548757064.171:33323): avc: denied { getattr } for pid=28576 comm="ls" path="/proc/1" dev="proc" ino=803674 scontext=u:r:untrusted_app_27:s0:c512,c768 tcontext=u:r:init:s0 tclass=dir permissive=0

# logcat | grep avc
01-29 14:17:44.171 28576 28576 W ls      : type=1400 audit(0.0:33323): avc: denied { getattr } for path="/proc/1" dev="proc" ino=803674 scontext=u:r:untrusted_app_27:s0:c512,c768 tcontext=u:r:init:s0 tclass=dir permissive=0

```

However Linux kernel may or may not log all of its internal permission denials depending on multiple build and runtime configurations including `printk loglevel`, `DYNAMIC_DEBUG` and/or others I'm not sure of. Therefore such messages may not appear in logs.

If you want to get logs related to security events, you can make use of Linux kernel's `Auditing System`. For that you need to use `auditctl` tool for defining rules (***root required***), and you would get details about the denials in logs through `dmesg` or `logcat`. Fo more details on how to define rules, see this answer.

**PS:**

Another reason of not being able to access a certain PID in procfs is `PID namespace` that isn't relevant on Android so far but very common for isolation mechanisms like containers. In a new PID namespace, any process from parent namespace isn't visible and a process could have same PID (including PID 1; init) as that of some other process in some other PID namespace.
> 8 votes

---
Tags: security, permissions, logging, selinux
---


# Question
Title: My Chinese Redmi 4A showed me a step counter in the screen to the left of the home screen but my non-Chinese Redmi 6 does not
I bought my old Redmi 4A in China less than two years ago. I never installed most of the Google infrastructure on it. I did upgrade to MIUI 10.

I just bought a Redmi 6 in Taiwan so it does have all the Google infrastructure and lacks some of the Xiaomi and/or Chinese internet apps etc.

Recently I noticed if I swipe right on the home screen on the 4A I see among other info the number of steps I've walked today. I did not have a step counter app installed . The 4A had very little storage so you always delete apps you don't use.

On my new Redmi 6 I don't see the number of steps I've walked.

How can I enable this feature on my 6, or at least find out what app etc the 4A got this info from?

# Answer
I found the answer myself after some Googling. This is a feature of the China ROM that is not present in the non-China ROM.

MIUI Forum: \[Feature Request\] Step counter absent!

This feature was reported missing since at least January 2018. So far I haven't found anything on whether it's going to be added to the non-China ROM.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: xiaomi, miui, redmi, miui-10, redmi-6
---


# Question
Title: android.database.sqlite.SQLiteException: Can't downgrade database from version X to Y when running an app
I have problem with TitaniumBackup. I had it installed on my Android tablet which is rooted and using Android 4.4.2. It was working fine, but I had to do factory reset and after that, if I try to launch TitaniumBackup, I get 'Unfortunately, Titanium Backup has stopped'.

This is the logcat with the lines that contain references to TitaniumBackup.

```
Line 111: E/AndroidRuntime(26306): Process: com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup, PID: 26306
Line 112: E/AndroidRuntime(26306): java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity ComponentInfo{com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup/com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup.MainActivity}: android.database.sqlite.SQLiteException: Can't downgrade database from version 7 to 6
Line 131: E/AndroidRuntime(26306):        at com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup.MainActivity.onCreate(Source)

```

The error mentions

> java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity ComponentInfo{com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup/com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup.MainActivity}: android.database.sqlite.SQLiteException: Can't downgrade database from version 7 to 6

How to mitigate this issue?

# Answer
> 1 votes
> \[...\] android.database.sqlite.SQLiteException: **Can't downgrade database from version 7 to 6**

This is caused when an app tries to downgrade an SQLite database from newer version, but failed since the code handle that is not implemented. (For more technical explanation: Can't downgrade database from version 2 to 1 even after fresh install and re-run).

This can also happen on Android Marshmallow (Android 6.x) or later when the data is backed up and restored after doing factory reset, leaving the data with newer version, but the app in older version.

What the user can do:

1. If the user wants to use the existing database: they have to find and use the version of the app that is using the current (7)/newer (\>7) SQLite database version. Usually this means the user *needs to update the app* to the previous app's version (before the factory reset) or newer one (latest from the Play Store/developer's website).
2. If the user doesn't care about the existing database: depending on the database location, they can remove the database by e.g. deleting the file manually (probably need root access), cleaning the app data, etc. and let the app recreate a *new* database with older SQLite database version (**big potential of data loss** from the previous database).

---
Tags: applications, system-error, sqlite
---


# Question
Title: What's the downloaded_rom folder and what's its difference from the Download folder?
I have a Redmi phone with Android Nougat 7.1. In the file explorer I found the downloaded\_rom folder, next to the Download folder. The first one is empty. What's its purpose?

# Answer
To view, both Download and Downloaded\_Rom folders, you may need to have **file manager applications** such as google's files go, es file explorer, default file manger(for mi devices -\> Mi file manger/Explorer) on devices.

**Download**

* Folder created on internal storage of android device by default. This folder is one among the other internal storage default folders such as Android, DCIM, media, Movies, Music, Pictures, Ringtones etc
* It is used to store files that are downloaded from internet using mobile browser apps like chrome, firefox, and default browsers of each manufacturers.
* Some devices provides Download access through Downloads app which is placed on app launcher. (Eg: Pixel, Xiaomi etc)

**Downloaded\_Rom**

* This folder is created on internal storage, which is commonly seen in xiaomi/Mi devices.
* This folder contains the OTA update zip file(Stock ROM), which is downloaded using Updater application in Mi devices. stock ROM is the OS of the device which is released by the device manufacturer(Xiaomi).
* **Note:** After, completing updation, the zip file will be automatically get cleared. So, this folder may be empty, until next OTA update notification and started downloading.
* If you download OTA/update zip from xiaomi's website which is opened using browser application, the file is available on *Download* folder. Copy and paste zip file, to this folder and you can install this update through updater app.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 7.1-nougat, miui
---


title: HTC Desire bravo custom rom

text:
# Question
Title: HTC Desire bravo custom rom
I have an old rooted HTC Desire gsm version with custom recovery installed. Presently it is running the stock 2.3.3 android provided by htc, but this rom contains no standard apps like maps or gmail, and it has an old "market" app. The market does not update do the play store because it's too old, and it crashes at startup, so I'm stuck without any app.

I remember that years ago I successfully installed the cyanogenmod rom, but unfortunately the site is down and I cannot download it again.

I just need a very lightweight rom (possibly 2.3.7) with no frills, I don't care about nothing but:

* Gmail
* Gmaps
* Whatsapp
* A browser

What can I do to bring my old phone back to useful life? Or at least, how can I update to a working play store?

# Answer
While doing similar research to upgrade an old HTC Desire I found this article that may help you: Cant add Google account to HTC Desire

It points out that you first need to upgrade Android Market to Google Play. However in other forums I read that you have to have Android 3+ to do so, though I'm not certain that's true. But hope that leads you in the right direction.

Also, if you already figured out and answer, please share back, I'd love to know (it may save me time). Thanks!
> 0 votes

# Answer
I resolved the problem installing with an apk installer an updated play store apk. I downloaded from here the first 6.x.y playstore version I could find and then I installed it with apkinstaller from my pc. Then from the store I installed everything else without changing rom.

Keep in mind that my phone was rooted, though.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, custom-roms, htc-desire, vanilla-android
---


# Question
Title: What is this square chat bubble / balloon icon on the top left of a screen. It has a call out arrow on bottom left
There is a square chat balloon icon or chat bubble appearing on the notification panel on the top left of screen. What does that indicate ? It has a call out arrow on the bottom left.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Taking into account that it is a chat bubble icon, it means that you have got a new message from a person while the chat/message app was closed or in the background. I think that it is almost the same as the chat notification indicator of 'Facebook lite' app

# Answer
> 0 votes
Through help in another forum I was able to find out what the square chat bubble icon with the left callout was on my phone... an indicator that my Walgreens app was running in the background. I was able to set up a widget on my screen (hold, select widgets, select Settings 1x1 and drag to screen, select Notification Log as type) which shows my notification log and Walgreens has been running and/or using battery all-day every day for a few months. This is a problem as I do not often actively use that app. Guess I'll be uninstalling Walgreens.

---
Tags: notification-bar, notification-icons, app-icons
---


title: Hide apps in Evie Launcher app drawer

text:
# Question
Title: Hide apps in Evie Launcher app drawer
I'm in love with the Evie Launcher however one complaint I have is that there seems no way to hide apps in the app drawer. According to this article the Nova launcher has this feature but i like Evie a lot and I don't want to change my launcher.

Is there a way to do this in Evie launcher?

# Answer
At your homescreen longpress on a blank space and choose Settings. Under Customization header you would find the option "Hide Apps".
> 2 votes

---
Tags: launcher
---


# Question
Title: Not able to tick items in SP Flash Tool after selecting scatter .txt file.How to check Boxes?
I download SP Flash Tool And recovery file zip,extracted recovery zip which contain three files: 1)scatter .txt file 2)recovery image file 3)recovery read me file After that i opened tool.exe and select the scatter file but don't able to tick the recovery name object

# Answer
> 1 votes
You need to select a file to write each partition you want to select. Double click on the location column for the partition you want to write to and select an img file, e.g. twrp.

---
Tags: rom-flashing, custom-roms, flashtool, mediatek
---


# Question
Title: How to get the latest security updates for CyanogenMod?
I have installed CyanogenMod in February 2016, and the device information showed Android version "5.1.1", and the security patch level was "November 2015".

This hasn't changed until today (2016-02-20): The device says that there are no updates.

Looking at http://www.cyanogenmod.org/blog the last entry with "Android Security Bulletin" in the title was back in October 2015.

Looking at https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/index.html there are security bulletins for each month.

So my question is: How can I get these Android security updates for CyanogenMod?

Any information about that delay (if it's really one) is appreciated as well. It's OK if have to compile it myself.

In case it's device specific: I am using a Samsung Galaxy S4 mini.

**Update**

I have probably used the "Download latest release" link on the page pointed out by xangua in his answer, and it seems that this link in fact refers to a "snapshot". I am looking for security patches for the "latest release" (v12).

# Answer
Sounds like you haven't updated in a long time as at today (2016-02-20) latest nighty for that device is cm13.0 2016-02-19.

If you refer however to a snapshot, as you can see the latest available one is from November.

https://download.cyanogenmod.org/?device=serranoltexx
> 1 votes

# Answer
You can't install latest security patches on older android/cyanogen/lineage/etc versions.

You will have to upgrade to latest version for your device to get that.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, updates, security
---


title: Camera app that records EXIF

text:
# Question
Title: Camera app that records EXIF
Is there a camera app that records EXIF information? In particular, I would need the following:

* GPSLatitude
* GPSLongitude
* GPSImgDirection
* SubjectDistance

I've checked that all these fields can be saved via android. I'm just wondering if there is a camera app that actually DOES save this information in exif for a photo. Most apps I've tried only save max the latitude and longitude.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Camera360 Ultimate works fine for me. Just, make sure to check "Record GPS Information" from Settings ~\> Preferences.

# Answer
> 0 votes
The short answer here is that the GPS system only provides direction if the receiver is moving.

---
Tags: applications, camera, photos
---


# Question
Title: Backing up/save files on android with a broken screen
My phone's screen is broken and is useless, but it has important files on it. Is there a way to back the files up or get the phone back?

# Answer
You can only back data up yourself, if the phone is functioning (apart from the screen obviously). Make sure it shows some kind of life signal when you plug it in/turn it on/press the volume keys/etc. It could be something like the charging LED lighting up or vibration. If you have the SIM card in there, you could also call it and check that way. If none of these work, then the only solution is to take it to a data recovery center (it can cost a couple hundred dollars, so make sure those photos are irreplacable).

So, first of all, a broken screen could mean a couple of things:

# 1.: The digitizer (touch screen glass) is broken

This is the easiest problem to solve. If you have an OTG cable (a cable with a micro USB end and a female USB on the other), you can connect a mouse to the phone and use that to back everything up. It's very rare nowadays for a phone (especially phablets) to not support this feature.

You could also just buy a new screen and either apply it yourself or take it to a repair shop if you want to keep the phone.

# 2.: The LCD (the display) doesn't work

If you see a black screen or random lines on the screen, when you turn it on, then the LCD is broken. This has a bunch of different types too.

If you're lucky and the phone goes into file transfer mode, when plugged into a computer, then you can just take the files off, so make sure to try this first.

## a.: Water damage

If you dropped your phone in water and it got damaged, then either a chip got fried or something got corroded. It's usually impossible to tell which one it is, so the phone has to be disassembled and cleaned. It's not really worth it to buy a screen at this point, LCD don't really mind water that much. However, If you're "lucky" and only the backlight is faulty (or the connectors got corroded), then you can just take a strong flashlight, hold it up against the screen (possibly somewhere with a white/light area of pixels). Make sure to try this out, in my experience, even some repair shops forget to check it. I've had it on a friend's phone recently and it looked like this:

(That's the vodaphone logo btw)

If it's not the backlight, then probably some video output chip got damaged. Backing up data in this case is very hard. You could try using one of the tools designed for this but it's a gamble whether they work and even if they do, they might require you to turn on USB debugging (which is hard without seeing anything). I also don't like to install random programs on my computer.

In some cases, removing the corrosion from the device can also solve some problems. If you want to keep the warranty, take it to a repair shop and let them clean it. If you don't care however, iFixit has some really nice guides to disassemble almost any phone. Make sure to remove every board from the device, then take an unused tootbrush and some Isopropyl alcohol and give it a good scrub. Clean the adapters and the ends of the cables too. You're essentially looking for some blueish-greenish goo:

If you don't want to void warranty and you can't take it to a repair shop either, then you could theoretically put it in a tub of alcohol, but I haven't tried it and it certainly won't have the same effect.

After this, assemble the phone again without missing anything out and test it. Hopefully it works. If not, check the general advices part.

## b.: Blunt damage

If you dropped your phone on concrete and the screen won't turn on again, it's either because the LCD got damaged or a cable got loose (the latter is very unlikely, I've only had it happen once and only with a vibration motor). If it turns on, but you see lines one the screen (see image below), then the LCD is broken.

(This is an iphone, but you get the point)

In any case, it's usually worth it to get a new screen if it's still in production. Make sure to not touch the glass too much, the small glass shards don't mix well with your finger.

## c.: General advices

If nothing above worked for you, there's a small chance going through a software based solution will work too.

If you have USB debugging enabled, install adb, pull up the command line of your choice, connect the phone to the computer through USB (pray to your choice of deity) and type "adb devices" without the quotes. If your phone show up in the list, you can continue. Type "adb pull mnt/sdcard/DCIM/Camera/" without quotes. This will pull the images from your phone. You can also do "adb pull mnt/sdcard/" if you want every file on there, because you have some sick scores in temple run you want to keep.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: backup, broken-screen
---


# Question
Title: Seeing nested folders from a dlna server?
I am running Gerbera as a dnla media server on my Linux box. I have 100s of files, both music and video organized in nested folders.

I recently acquired an Android box, X88 Max+

I connect through my home network and can select music or video. I see the entire libraries but there is no structure. Just everything presented in alphabetical order.

I do see music albums, and then I can select and see the individual tracks. But I do not have a higher folder grouping all my, for example, Beatles albums together.

When I connect my blu-ray player to the dlna server, I do see the structure.

Is there a way to see the structure on the android box?

I checked with an app called BubblePnP on my android tablet, and it retains the structure.

I will try to install on my android box.

And help is most welcome.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I managed to register my Google account in this box. It was difficult with the very limited remote.

I installed BubblePnp from Playstore. I could not get it to play my media because the remote is so limited in function.

I have ordered a keyboard/mouse USB wireless to use. That should solve the issue.

But to my surprise, and delight, the standard media player now shows one level of folders. Not a complete solution but a big improvement.

---
Tags: media-player
---


# Question
Title: While using CWM recovery on my nook touch I foolishly used a tool that wiped my entire partition, how do I fix it?
My nook simple touch has been bricked by a tool designed to wipe all partitions that I found on a deep google search.

I can still boot up into CWM and attempted to use the backup to restore my nook to previous conditions.

Its obviously a vain attempt at this point to try anything else as I was capable to mount my internal nook partitions onto my ancient laptop.

The nook's partitions show up as unallocated on gparted.

# Answer
I fixed my problem by downloading a tool called noogie. You burn it onto the sdcard and on bootup you connect your working nook to a computer; preferably a Linux environment like Ubuntu and go to a program called Disks.  You create a disk image file saved to your preferable location. After the image is complete you safely disconnect the nook and boot up onto noogie on the bricked nook and flash the image with the dd command. Using gparted or disk will pinpoint the location necessary for the text command. I would not recommend using the burn image option on the disk program as it will launch errors.

After the image is complete use the **dd** command to burn the image to the bricked nook's location.

```
sudo dd  if=/location/restore.img of=/dev/nook_location

```

The link below will give you the recovery tools needed.

https://code.google.com/archive/p/nst-recovery/downloads
> 0 votes

---
Tags: root-access, 2.1-eclair
---


# Question
Title: how to restore keyboard on android - to enter locked screen password
My android phone as a screen lock password. Somehow, I've ended up in a situation where the phone no longer shows a keyboard when it boots up but shows "tap to speak" and that too does not work. I click on the "microphone" icon and nothing happens.

How do I go about restoring the keyboard.

The phone is on wifi as I can hear the beeps when I get messages etc...but can't get past the locked screen.

The device used to be on my google play (GP) device list but now it does not. How can I get the phone back on the GP recognized devices.

Would appreciate any help.

my apologies if this has already been answered.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The solution suggested by @Firelord worked perfectly. I had to purchase a micro-USB to Female USB OTG cable to resolve my issue. The micro-USB end connects to the phone (where the power cable connects) and connect a keyboard into the female usb end.

Power cycle the phone (for the phone to recognize the keyboard ) and just enter the password using the keyboard.

I had struggled with this - installing adb and figuring out how to sideload (manually install) keyboard apps and all kinds of other suggestions from various sites.

I was just moments away from wiping my phone when I remembered Stackexchange.

Thanks everyone for helping out. Greatly appreciated.

---
Tags: applications, keyboard
---


# Question
Title: How to set up reverse tethering over USB?
1. My HTC G2 phone is rooted and running Cyanogenmod 7
2. I don't have a data plan.
3. Sometimes I want to connect the phone to the Internet when there isn't Wi-Fi, to update Market apps, backup SMS messages to Gmail, sync new contacts from Gmail, etc. Things I can't do with USB mass storage mode.
4. I have a Windows 7 Professional computer connected to the Internet, but I'm not allowed to set up an ad-hoc Wi-Fi network. (If I do, they will notice and hunt me down.)

Is there a way for the phone to access the Internet through the USB connection to the computer? If so, how do I set it up?

# Answer
> 47 votes
I recently discovered SimpleRT which works very well with Linux (and apparently OSX as well). Simply enable USB Debugging on your device (no root required), install the APK linked from that page on your device and connect it to your PC via USB, and then run the binary on your PC.

It will set up the connection as a VPN tunnel (`tun0` by default) and your device should prompt you to (a) allow SimpleRT to create/oversee the VPN connection as well as (b) whether to run it when the device is configured as a particular USB accessory (which is what the binary does).

The project does not include a pre-built binary, so I've uploaded one I built for Ubuntu (file will download).

---

Below is a manual method that should work on Linux or Windows: http://blog.mathieu.carbou.me/post/60454997009/reverse-usb-tethering-with-android-2-2

> **STEP 1:**
>
> For Windows: Install USB drivers from Android SDK
>
> For Linux: Nothing to do
>
> **STEP 2:**
>
> On Nexus One: Connect USB cable and activate USB Tethering. You should see on linux or windows a new network interface.
>
> **STEP 3:**
>
> On Linux Computer, setup a bridge:
>
> ```
> # usb0 is the new network interface
> # eth0 is the main interface connected to internet (or a gateway)
>
> sudo ifconfig eth0 0.0.0.0
> sudo ifconfig usb0 0.0.0.0
> sudo brctl addbr br0
> sudo brctl addif br0 eth0
> sudo brctl addif br0 usb0
> sudo ifconfig br0 up
> sudo dhclient br0
>
> ```
>
> See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/NetworkConnectionBridge to setup bridges
>
> On windows, Bridge the 2 network interfaces
>
> **STEP 4:**
>
> Setup usb0 interface of your phone. You have to options:
>
> 1. From your computer, execute:
>
> ```
> ./adb shell netcfg usb0 dhcp
>
> ```
> 2. Or in a root terminal on your phone, type:
>
> ```
> su
> netcfg usb0 dhcp
>
> ```
>
> You should now be able to connect to Internet on your phone using your computer’s Internet connection.
>
> Try to do a ping www.google.com to be sure !
>
> **STEP 5:**
>
> To shut down the reverse-tethering, first unbridge interfaces on your computer:
>
> ```
> sudo ifconfig eth0 down
> sudo ifconfig usb0 down
> sudo ifconfig br0 down
> sudo brctl delbr br0
> sudo ifconfig eth0 up
> sudo dhclient eth0
>
> ```
>
> Then on your phone, uncheck the USB Tethering option !

You can also use Windows to create a WiFi network (using Connectify) and connect your device to that: http://www.nexusoneforum.net/forum/nexus-one-faq-how-tos/3133-reverse-tether-getting-internet-your-phone.html

# Answer
> 19 votes
There are some more possibilities -- but all of them I know of require a rooted device.

# Using the *Reverse Tether* App

First, there's an App named Reverse Tether available for free on the Play Store (it's a limited trial, which restricts the time you can be connected -- but at least you can test this way whether your device is fully supported; the full version is about USD 5). According to an article at AndroidAuthority, setup should be as easy as 1-2-3: Plug in the USB cable, start the app, let it auto-configure (manual configuration is available as well) -- and there you go. You can also let it ask you to connect when it finds an USB-connection.

# Manual methods using Wifi

I know, this is not USB -- but for completeness (and giving alternatives) I thought I might add these as well:

## fiddling with the system and patching around

Several manual methods are available as well (and described e.g. at XDA) -- but they are mostly technically complex, and expecting you to patch system files; not for the every-day-user, but rather for the tech-freak.

## Terminal and go

However, another nice method should just involve 3 lines in the terminal, and is described in a post here, to connect to an ad-hoc Wifi network. Basically, it should go like this:

```
su
ifconfig wlan0 up
iwconfig mode auto;
iwconfig wlan0 essid "your SSID" channel 11 mode auto
ifconfig wlan0 10.0.0.x netmask 255.255.255.0

```

## manipulating some config file

Another quite easy method is also described here, and involves editing the `wpa_supplicant.conf` file once (manually adding your ad-hoc Wifi network).

# Easy-Peasy method

Do I need to say, really? Use a Wifi router. There are even some small "Travel routers" around for less than USD 50. And then connect your phone like you use to connect it to other Wifi networks...

# Answer
> 11 votes
I know this is an even later answer, but it is worth mentioning it.

**No rooting needed!**

**No app installation needed!\*** Which is not even possible if you do not have some other internet connection.

There is a project called gnirehtet.

1. Install adb on to the host PC (Windows/Linux/Mac)
2. Download the gnirehtet zip-file to the host
3. Unzip it
4. Run the command

That's it! For more information, read the readme file of gnirehtet on their website.

\*=Behind the scenes it will install an apk file on to your device via the USB connection.

# Answer
> 7 votes
Hey! there is an app for that

Android Usb Port Forwarding
http://www.codeproject.com/kb/android/usbportforwarding.aspx

I am a bit confused how to use it, please inform if you get it working perfectly.

# Answer
> 3 votes
I've found a good tool for reverse tethering on xda-developers forum. It's called Android Reverse Tethering. It works with Windows and requires a rooted phone.
It works fine on my HTC Desire HD running MIUI v4.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Android reverse tethering steps:

**Note: Works only in a rooted Android phone.**

1. Connect Android device via USB.
2. Enable USB tethering. To do so, go to **Settings → More... → Tethering & mobile hotspot → Usb tethering**.
3. At host machine, the usb tethering connection may be detected by the network manager.
Its name will be something like "Wired connection 2" (or 3).
You must edit it's "IPV4/Method" to "Shared to other computers".

3.1. Without the network manager, you will have to do it manually:

```
    $ sudo ifconfig usb0 10.42.0.1 netmask 255.255.255.0
    $ echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward

```

Now, as explained here at the end of Step1 you have to modify `iptables` with `sudo iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -j MASQUERADE`. But... prefer allow network manager to do it if possible.

4. At Android device, you can issue these commands using a terminal with `su` there, or from your host machine by using ADB:

```
$ adb shell su -c "netcfg rndis0 dhcp"

```

If it doesn't get the IP address, or if you are using some application that a static IP address is desirable like "Webkey for Android" App, then assign it manually:

```
$ adb shell su -c "ifconfig rndis0 10.42.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0"
$ adb shell su -c "route add default gw 10.42.0.1 dev rndis0"

```

Now internet would be working in the Android phone.

To check, at `adb shell` or android terminal, try the command `ping www.google.com`.

It works for me.

# Answer
> 3 votes
# For *unrooted* devices

I know this is a late answer, but as all existing answers suggest that USB reverse tethering is only possible if either your device is rooted or has system support for reverse tethering, I though it'd be worth pointing out there's one more option:

I was looking for a reverse tethering solution that would work on my unrooted devices and with a MacBook, but I just could not find anything. Eventually, I started to develop my own solution. The result is an app that works on devices running Android 4.0 or higher on client side, and all major desktop OSs on the host side.

The app is available on Google Play: ReverseTethering NoRoot

---
Tags: usb, networking, tethering, reverse-tether, usb-tethering
---


# Question
Title: LG K10 Rooting and Bootloader Unlock without a computer
How I go about unloacking the bootloader on a LG K10 without a PC? Can it be done or do I need a computer. Thanks in advance

# Answer
> 0 votes
You will need a PC to run the required fastboot commands. So, yes, it cannot be done without a PC. One alternative can be to use another rooted Android phone with ADB and Fastboot binaries installed. Then connect the two phones using a USB OTG connector/cable and you should be able to use the fastboot commands.

---
Tags: rooting, 4.4-kitkat, lg
---


# Question
Title: How to handle the Play Store country restriction for those who live in multiple countries?
I had already a lot of trouble with the Play Store country change in Canada. Now I'm living for a while in Singapore and I have the same trouble again.

In Canada/USA, I was not able to download the online banking app of my bank RBC and the service app of my phone carrier Virgin because I couldn't change my country in the Play Store. Now I have the same trouble in Singapore. Bank accounts here are not easy to get (a lot of paperwork) and will cost money. That totally blocks me from downloading free service apps.

I only have one bank account in Germany for my credit card and all payments and I want to keep it like that. I don't want to pay for other bank accounts, credit cards, or want to manage different bank accounts in many countries and currencies. I don't even want to talk about the hustle with the tax office. That was already enough with the one Canadian bank account.

Is there another way to change the Play Store country than to open a bank account with a credit card in every country you're staying in?

# Answer
How about just creating a new Google account for this purpose and adding it to the phone. You will obviously not need a payments profile to download the free apps. But I believe you can still create a payments profile and use your existing card (German, Canadian) in the new account. Or better just buy Google Play gift cards (the offline scratchable ones). It is very easy to switch the account within Play Store. So, that won't hurt much. That's the only solution I can think of. I have already had a lot of pain to revert my account country from Canada to India. Because a lot of my apps were showing as unavailable.
> 1 votes

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


title: How to restore data from Google Drive?

text:
# Question
Title: How to restore data from Google Drive?
My Samsung Galaxy SGH-T99 broke recently. I can see the backup of my data on Google Drive. I will not repair the device and want to restore my data. How can I do that? Please provide guidance.

# Answer
Google should ideally offer you to restore a cloud backup when you set up a new device using the same Google account. Works well on my Nokia phones. I do not know if Samsung as a varied implementation.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: backup, data-recovery, restore, google-drive, google-backup
---


title: Using whatsapp on two devices

text:
# Question
Title: Using whatsapp on two devices
One device has my Sim card, the other one only the internet connection. Both devices have already been verified by my number. Will I get incoming messagges in both devices?

# Answer
You're not allowed to do this, From whatsapp FAQ:

> Using one WhatsApp account on multiple phones, or with multiple phone numbers Your WhatsApp account can only be verified with one number on one device. If you have a dual SIM phone, please note that you still must choose one number to verify with WhatsApp. There is no option to have a WhatsApp account with two phone numbers.
>
> If you attempt to frequently switch your WhatsApp account between different devices, at a certain point, you may be blocked from re-verifying your account. Please don't repeatedly switch between different devices and numbers.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You cannot use the same WhatsApp account on more than one device at a time. As soon as you sign-in to a new device, the old one becomes invalidated. WhatsApp does not support a 2nd device.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger
---


# Question
Title: Text message is being divided into two messages
I use a pre-paid cellular service from T-mobile. Each text message is deducted from my account at a preset rate.

Too often, a text message I receive of 100 or less characters and spaces is broken into two texts, meaning I get hit for 2 texts instead of one. So for example, a 100 character & spaces text will arrive as a 60 character text and a 40 character text.

Is there anything I can do about this and still keep the same service? Why are texts being divided if they are under the total character & spaces length of 130?

# Answer
A single SMS can hold up to 160 characters. But that's only for text. Since smartphones make a lot of use of emojis, the SMS cannot hold 160 characters anymore if you include an emoji. AFAIK, the default emoji (smiley) will take 2 characters, but the one with a custom skin tone can take 4 characters. Similarly, it varies from device to device and what kind of emoji it supports.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: sms
---


# Question
Title: Phone wasn't used in 6 months. Is there a way to unlock it?
Unlock pattern forgotten. Developer mode on off. It asks for pattern to shutdown. Laptop recognizes it but thats all. Drivers up to date. ADB doesnt recognize it as device.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can reset the device from the recovery mode. So, you will have to give up your saved data inside the phone to get rid of the pattern which you have forgotten.

---
Tags: samsung, lock-screens, developer-options
---


# Question
Title: System crashed and not rebooting on Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
I have a Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus with MIUI 8. My system crashed today and then the phone tried to reboot but is stuck eternally in the boot screen with the Mi and Android logo. I only had 100 MB free space, so maybe the system cannot boot because of that? I tried to clear caches with fastboot but it says "device is locked. Cannot erase". Also flashing TWRP is not possible. When trying to start adb shell it only says "error: closed". The newest version of Mi PC Suite cannot connect and an older MiPhoneAssistant version is only able to flash the ROM.

So I really tried a lot, but maybe someone has another idea with which I don't lose my data?

EDIT: So, instead of starting the bootloader I left the phone in the booting process and then I could connect with adb shell. But without root permission I don't have access to user data.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I don't think there is anything we can do about it you will loose the data. Download the Mi Flash tool. And flash the stock firmware.

---
Tags: boot-loop, boot, xiaomi, redmi
---


# Question
Title: Extraordinarily fast battery consumption
I have been using Xiaomi Mi Max (4/128) (*now running on MIUI 10.2.1.0*) for over two and a half years and as the time passed, my battery started to die pretty quick - I used AccuBattery to check the battery's health and it was about 40% after 30 charging sessions. On average it could last about 3-4 hours on screen and about 12 hours standby.

My decision was to change the battery and I did it, but the phone still does not work for 8+ hours on screen (*as it did before the battery started dying that quick*). I took a look at the power usage graph and the thing that suprised me the most was the distribution of power. I know it should be rather exponential than linear, but it was different - first 30% (*from 100 to ~70 percent*) has been drained in less than an hour, next 45% was used linearly (approximately 10% per hour), and the rest lasted for 20 minutes, going rapidly down to 0%.

Up to now I deleted apps which I was not using, turned on the auto-brightness and the battery saver. I was thinking about doing a factory reset, but at the moment I am unable to save all my photos and data, so I would like to get any ideas what else could I do instead, in order to lenghten the time the battery can last.

# Answer
Looks like a software issue for me. I had the same issue on my max 2. I flashed the firmware again using Mi flash tool and there's no battery drainage now.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: battery-life
---


# Question
Title: Unable to connect to Spotify - phantom ad blocker?
I'm having issues with the Spotify app. Trying to search gives error messages shown in this Spotify forum. The solution suggested in that thread is to whitelist spclient.wg.spotify.com on my adblocker. I tried connecting to spclient.wg.spotify.com in Firefox and got an `Unable to connect` error.

I don't have an adblocker app or extension installed. I tested it out on simple-adblock and found that my adblocker failed to block ads, but on fivefilters, it worked. So I'm not sure what to make of that.

I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S7 running Android v7.0. I installed the ROM myself to get rid of the bloatware that came with the phone by following the instructions here. My best guess is that that ROM is tweaked to have a native adblocker. I think that might have been the case, but I can't remember, having it installed a good few months ago.

How can I whitelist spclient.wg.spotify.com when I don't know how to access whatever ad blocker is on my phone, if there is one? Can anyone offer an alternative explanation?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Robert got it. My hosts file is full of URLs rerouted to 127.0.0.1. Thanks!

---
Tags: custom-roms, 7.0-nougat, connection-issues, spotify
---


# Question
Title: How to take screenshots without using buttons?
My android phone has weak buttons, so I don't use them frequently. I even change my volume from the settings!

But to take a screenshot, I need to press the volume down button *and* the power button. I have a Motorola Moto E4 Plus running Android 7.1.1.

Is there any other way to take screenshots? I don't want to root my phone.

NOTE: This question is not a duplicate as this is asking specifically ***without buttons*** and so helps those who can not use their physical buttons.

# Answer
Tasker app can do this without root.

Install Tasker. Setup a Task named Capture Screenshot and add the following actions:

1. Display → Status bar → Set: Collapsed.
2. Task → Wait → MS: 500
3. Display → Take Screenshot → File:`%DATE-%TIMES` → tick Insert in Gallery.
4. Optional: since Tasker doesn't visibly show whether it took a screenshot or not, you can configure your task to show a toast or a notification that screenshot has been taken. Both toast and notification can be added from Alert section.
5. Set an icon for the task.

For the ease of use I suggest you attach this task to a quick setting tile. Tasker offers three tiles. You can access them and add them into your enabled tiles through the quick settings editor (the pencil icon in your quick settings) and drag the 'unset' named tile to visible tiles.

After that, go into Tasker, click three dots lines, select Action and under Quick Settings Tasks replace the entry named unset with the name of the task you just created. Make sure you change it only for the entry you dragged into visible tiles.

From now on, whenever you would tap that quick setting tile, it would collapse the notification bar, wait for 500ms, than capture a screenshot.

In practice, Tasker responsded with an automatic delay of at least 3 seconds when tapping the tile. I have no solution for this delay though.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Another way to take screenshot without hardware inputs (physical buttons) would be to do so with software inputs (on-screen buttons). I remember using a software to capture images and videos of my phone a few years ago.

Samsung Galaxy comes with gesture software that is embedded to the OS that a user can slide edge of one's hand across the screen to take screenshots; but I am not sure if it is available to Motorola phones as it seemed like an extention that Samsung added to the Android.

You should be able to find a number of screen capture applications if you search for "screen capture" in Play Store. They usually display a floating icon or a notification bar icon that you can touch to capture screenshots.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: screen, motorola-moto-e4
---


# Question
Title: Is there a location tracker installed to my Android phone?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 phone running stock Android 7.0. It's not rooted. I've left my phone unattended for 10 hours. I don't have a PIN code or any other security measure to unlock the phone, anyone can unlock it with a swipe.

How can I easily figure out if someone (possibly with physical access) has installed a location tracker or some similar unwanted app to my phone? Let's suppose the attacker is not working for Google, Facebook or Samsung, but may also have access to my Google or Facebook account (e.g. by stealing or guessing my password -- I don't have two-factor authentication enabled).

Please note that in this question I'm not looking for advice for protecting my phones and my accounts, I only want to learn about the presence of location trackers and other similar unwanted apps on my phone.

# Answer
If the device came into possession of an unauthorized person than you should be more concerned whether the device's software integrity is intact or not. Although Android since Nougat informs the user if boot process is compromised (only when booting the device), one can employ a minimal cross-check on their own.

Some root checker apps attempts to ensure that the software is intact (includes bootloader, kernel and system partition). You can use them to get the state of integrity. Once you are confident here, find out which apps were recently installed. You can use to explore the dump of package service (`adb shell dumpsys package`) or try an app based solution such as Applications Info. It can show the apps by installation date.

This could single out an app for you. If you find a phishy app, then check out its permissions, location usage, battery usage and data (internet) usage.

That said, if you don't find anything convincing and still remain convinced your device is tampered with and could prove your hunch to yourself with evidence (such as high battery consumption suddenly; location icon toggling in status bar, or anything that is weird or incompatible with your daily routine and usage), than I'm afraid I don't have a single source to help out.

Based on your evidences or observations, you would have to figure this out on your own. As an example, for sudden high battery consumption, you can check with Battery usage history in Settings app. Same goes for Location and data usage. Android shows the usage app-wise.

You can also search into detailed usage output of battery, location, data usage and many more important services through dumpsys utility, which requires adb usage.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I would probably start by accessing the system settings and scrolling to the bottom looking for an item called (*Developer Options*). If it appears in the settings and you are not a tech guru then I would start with a BIG red flag there due to the developer options menu is hidden; it takes activation to find. Someone would have had to tamper with it to open it. If so, I would open it and scroll down to an option called `Unknown sources` (it may be found on under the Security option depending on your Android version) and disable that no need to continue to allow outside illegal apps to be bootstrapped installed to your device.

Then, I would head over to one of these sites as I work in cyber-Security you can of course use the National Government Vulnerability Databases as well as use the Android Developer Website if you are looking for research insight or professionals in the field.

As far as searching your phone for an unwanted tracker. I would start with opening up your phones security settings and start with permissions and see what apps dont look familiar to you honestly if you dont recognize it, I would disable it temporarily most system services are prevented without root from disabling. But should you lose access to an app or the network, then just return to this menu and re-enable the last service you changed.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: google-location-history
---


# Question
Title: How to extract a compressed TWRP backup?
There are a couple questions concerning how to extract a TWRP backup in this community, but none of them is really useful. All I found out is that the files like `data.ext4.win000` are the `tar` archives, and I should be able to extract them via the following commands:

```
$ cat data.ext4.win??? | tar xvf -
$ cat data.ext4.win??? | tar xzvf -

```

Yes, that's true, when I type one of the commands above in a terminal, I can see that the process of extracting files has begun. But when it finishes, I can also see this message at the end: \`

```
tar: Exiting with failure status due to previous errors

```

Looking through the lines leads me to this:

```
tar: Malformed extended header: missing equal sign

```

I can find many of those messages in the `tar` log, but when I check the size of the extracted dir, I can see this:

```
$ du -sh data/
1.6G    data

$ ls -hal data.ext4.win???
-rw-r--r-- 1 morfik morfik 929M 2019-01-28 01:48:28 data.ext4.win000
-rw-r--r-- 1 morfik morfik 945M 2019-01-28 01:49:47 data.ext4.win001
-rw-r--r-- 1 morfik morfik 549M 2019-01-28 01:50:23 data.ext4.win002

```

So it looks like it extracted only the fist `tar` file. I don't know whether any of the files in the archive was damaged during the process.

Are there any linux tools that would extract this backup in some easy automated way?

# Answer
> 4 votes
It's not a "paged tar", but **each file *is* a TAR itself**.

All you need to do is `tar xzf` on **each** file.

---
Tags: backup, twrp
---


# Question
Title: import words in android personal dictionary
I have a json file exported from a 3rd party app keyboard and I wanted to know if there is any way I can import it in Google Android Dictionary (so that gboard keyboard app can utilize it).

# Answer
Finally, I did the job with User Dictionary Manager (UDM)!

Find it in Play-Store.

I just had to transform the json export file to plain text word-by-line file.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: gboard, dictionary, import
---


# Question
Title: How is it possible to listen to FM radio while a phone is on airplane mode?
My phone was on airplane mode, i forgot to turn it off then i decided to listen to Fm radio. It worked really well. I still wonder how airplane mode works. Shouldn't it be disabled first cause i just read that some wireless devices work while on airplane mode.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Air plane mode disables all transmitters as these are creating the strongest radio waves that exit your Smartphone.

For some services like mobile network, WiFi and Bluetooth disabling only the transmitter without also disabling the receiver does not make sense, therefore both services are completely disabled.

The fm receiver however only receives the fm frequency and therefore does not have to be disabled in air plane mode. The same holds for GPS.

Note: Even disabling all explicit transmitters of a Smartphone some implicit transmitters of radio waves may still be active, e.g. the CPU and other electronic components can emit radio waves. However those radio waves are a lot weaker than e.g. a WiFi signal.

---
Tags: settings
---


# Question
Title: View list of registered document providers
How do I check in Android which applications have registered their document providers? I hope no code is needed (I need it from user perspective), but if that's the only way then I can attempt that.

# Answer
I assume were referring to the file types the different apps can open.

On a rooted device you can get the list the following way:

The mime types and the applications for the default user are stored in the file `/data/system/users/0/package-restrictions.xml`

Therefore you can execute the following PC to get the full list on a smartphone connected via USB (an enabled ADB):

```
adb shell "su -c 'cat /data/system/users/0/package-restrictions.xml'"

```
> 0 votes

---
Tags: file-system
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to speed up the delay when pressing the home button?
My guess is that the reason there's a delay when pressing the home button is due to the fact that it could be re-purposed into launching "Google Now" or "S Voice" by **pressing it twice**. So it has to wait for a second before it sends a signal "this is a single press" to the OS. I don't believe it's caused by phone waking up from sleep because it happens every time and it's consistent.

If my guess is correct and I'm not using "Google Now" or "S Voice", it would be great to remove this delay. How do I do that? Is that even possible?

In my opinion, it is annoying. The moment I press the home button I'm expecting an instant response by showing up the home screen as immediately as possible.

EDIT:

I already disabled all the apps that could possibly make use of double pressing the home button like "S Voice". Now when I open an app to foreground, pressing the home twice doesn't take me to home screen but instead nothing happens. That means there's no longer any function that is currently bound to double pressing the home button. If I press the home button once, it still takes a delay before it takes me back to the home screen.

# Answer
> 2 votes
An important navigation mechanism in Android is called a long press. You perform a long press by pressing and holding down a physical key or touch (capacitive) button. If the long press is successful, the phone will provide some physical feedback such as vibration, and the long press action will take place.

You can use a long press to open menus that are specific to the active item - think of it like opening a context menu on a PC. For example, performing a long press on a song in the Music player application in Android 2.2 will open a menu that allows you to add or remove it from a playlist. To perform a long press that opens a context menu, press and hold the select key or the trackball.

Yes you can increase/ decrease the time duration of the home button under the settings\>Accessibility scroll down to Mobility.

Select your desired time gap from the three -Long/short/medium

# Answer
> 1 votes
changing the animation in developer mode to be off should speed up this process.

# Answer
> -1 votes
When I use other launcher, little bit improved. I have used poco launcher

---
Tags: home-button
---


# Question
Title: What's this "drawer" in the task switcher and how to configure it?
I just upgraded my Samsung Galaxy S9+ to Android 9 and was wondering about this new UI element that shows up when opening the task switcher (the `|||` button).

In the below screenshot you can see the task switcher and five icons which are similar to the app drawer that lives on the bottom of the home screen (highlighted by the red frame). However, this selection of apps is not the same as in my *actual* app drawer. Also, I don't really use ES Explorer *that often* such that the frequency of the app usage would seem relevant here for its appearance (all other apps appear to be system apps). For example I have not even opened it once since the system upgrade.

* What is this new UI element called? (relevant for web searches)
* How can I configure the apps appearing in this UI element?

# Answer
> 3 votes
That section is showing predicted apps. This feature was introduced in Android 9, along with their changes to the recent apps screen. I'm not sure if there's a common name for that UI element, but I found relevant info when searching for "predicted app drawer" and "app suggestions".

AFAIK, you can't customize this - the apps that appear are predicted by the system based on your usage, so over time it will learn and (hopefully!) get better at showing you apps that you're likely to want to use soon.

I don't have access to a Samsung phone to test with, but you can turn it completely off in stock Android 9. You can see screenshots here.

1. Long-press on the home screen
2. Tapping "Home Settings", then "Suggestions"
3. Toggle "Apps" off

---
Tags: 9.0-pie, samsung-galaxy-s-9
---


# Question
Title: Is there any way to let Facebook run only when I want?
Is there any way to let the Facebook app run only when I want to use it and really close it when i don't need it?

I've already disabled it with autostarts, moved to sd, yet it is still running 24/7.

I don't want to appear on the Facebook chat, also don't want to waste 30mb of ram, and of course there are no FB widgets on the home screen

# Answer
> 0 votes
With root, it's possible to use an app like Ice Box to freeze the app and unfreeze it only when needed. It can be set up to freeze the app again when the phone goes to sleep. In this way the most invasive apps like Facebook, Instagram, will **only** run when the user want it. (Of course no notifications will appear)

# Answer
> 1 votes
You could always install Titanium Backup (a GREAT app to have) or App Manager (was just released today by JRummy) and "Freeze"/"Unfreeze" the app when you want it to run or not run. This is a very quick/simple/painless operation and there's absolutely no chance for it to run (taking up resources or draining battery) while it's "Frozen" - it just takes up a bit of storage space is all.

# Answer
> 1 votes
As the person before me said, a good way to do it would be to install TitaniumBackup pro (it's a really great app, can't recommend it enough, and the market commenters seem to agree) and set up a label called facebook which only contains the face book app. Then, create 2 widgets (one that freezes on one that defrosts facebook). It's a bit clunky and takes up 2 home screen cells but it's guaranteed to work :)

# Answer
> 0 votes
There's an awesome app called "Tinfoil for Facebook" that offers all the benefits of FB without being so resource - consuming . Link: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/use-tinfoil-for-facebook-to-protect-your-privacy-on-android/

# Answer
> 0 votes
Greenify prevents apps from running when they are not actively in use. It works seamlessly without needing to manually freeze and unfreeze it.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Did you try Force Quit?

You can always **force quit an app**:

1. Go to your settings
2. Scroll until you see App manager, Apps, Application Manager (You might need to go to general tab if your Android is not the old version)
3. Swipe left or right until you arrive at Running tab
4. Find Facebook app (or whatever app you are trying to force quit)
5. Press Force Quit on top.

Additional steps **(That will erase stored facebook's data on your phone)**:

6. Press Clear cache
7. Press Clear Data
8. Press Remove or Uninstall (Or Disable if it was installed with as system app)

# Answer
> 0 votes
Use Greenify to cut off the wake up paths of the Facebook app after greenifying it. This is the best method I know.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Use a modded android Facebook app. The version might differ from the ones in Google Playstore but at least you will still be able to have the same browsing Facebook experience. The best part is the modded Facebook App won't auto start itself unless you wanted it to.

# Answer
> -1 votes
! This might be something too basic and obvious... But since this was happening to me too, you might be experiencing the same issue... When you press that square on the bottom right of your screen to visualise all the apps you have open, at the top right of your app window, there is a cross and a lock.. as seen in the image attached... The lock should be unlocked.. just click it to unlock it. If it is locked, the app will never close. (https://i.stack.imgur.com/j0b4r.jpg)

---
Tags: facebook, auto-start
---


# Question
Title: Why does Android Device Manager not changes my password?
I have an Android phone with password, but I don't remember it. I have access to the phone through Android Device Manager. I tried to change the password with it, but when I set the new password, Android Device Manager says:

> The phone has a password, the password you just entered will not be used

How can I change the password? I have not logged in with Samsung and adb does not recognize the device.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I solved the issue by installing ClockworkMod, and Aroma file manager with a sdcard, then I removed the next files:

* password.keypattern.key
* locksettings.db
* locksettings.db-shm
* locksettings.db-wal

Useful links:

HOW TO: Install ClockworkMod Recovery 6 on Galaxy S5 G900F

Remove /Bypass Lockscreen With Recovery

---
Tags: locked-out, android-device-manager
---


# Question
Title: add yahoo mail to android phone having two step verification active?
Any help?

I want to get rid of the lousy Yahoo app on android. it has a lot of problems regarding notifications..

But when I try to add yahoo account in the Android-Email app, it says:

Login failed: Possible reasons: Two-step verification is enabled for your Yahoo email. Login to .... disable it... :(

# Answer
Like most other 2FA implementations, Yahoo also supports "App Passwords" for apps and APIs which do not have a proper login system to authorize the 2-factor login. These are static passwords which work as if there's no 2FA implemented at all. Be sure to never share such password with anybody as it bypasses the 2FA.

Yahoo has detailed steps to generate the App Passwords. So, follow the steps to get started:

1. Sign in and go to your Account security page.
2. Click Generate app password or Manage app passwords.
3. Select your app from the drop-down menu and click Generate.
4. Follow the instructions below the password.
5. Click Done.
6. Use this app password and your email address to sign in to your email app.

For more details, visit the Yahoo website - https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN15241.html
> 1 votes

# Answer
Use Outlook, it works with two-step verification.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: email, 2-step-verification, yahoo-mail
---


# Question
Title: Can't unlock screen after changing password
So one night i was using my Galaxy Tab A and realized that someone had taken my screen lock off, so every time I had opened my screen cover it would just automatically unlock my screen. So I decided to put a lock back on it and the password type that I was using previously was the "Direction swipes" lock and the combination I thought was just way too easy, and I really liked this type of screen lock. So I came up with an even harder combination and after awhile I had pressed the power button to lock the screen, and when I tried turning it back on I didn't even swipe up on the screen to unlock it and instantly realized I had already forgotten the new combination. So I've been using the guest user on my tablet.

So my question is, how do I get back into the main users screen without having to factory reset the whole device? Is there any chance of that?

Please help me somebody, anybody!!!

# Answer
Check this link, for solved you not need enable debuging and root:

Why does Android Device Manager not changes my password?
> 0 votes

---
Tags: lock-screens, locked-out
---


title: How to copy the current URL in Chrome?

text:
# Question
Title: How to copy the current URL in Chrome?
I was sure in the version prior to 18.0 you could fiddle around and long press on the URL in the address bar and get a menu to copy the current URL.

I just updated Chrome, now if I long press it I just get the magnifying glass which is incredibly frustrating. How can I copy the current URL to the clipboard in the Chrome browser?

Chrome 18.0.1025469 Android 4.0.4 Sony Xperia P

# Answer
> 9 votes
Turns out I was doing it wrong (well at least on my my ROM).

You need to perform two double-taps.

1. Double tap the URL. The first tap will select all of the URL and the second will deselect it and give you the text cursor and that little text selection tab helper thing.
2. Double tap the URL again to bring up the menu.

Or you can just keep quickly tapping until the copy menu appears. I find this whole process to be a bit unusual.

Other people are saying that they can long press to copy, so not sure if the above is specific to Sony ROMs.

# Answer
> 3 votes
It just might be about your ROM.

I have the same version of Chrome, on Android 4.1.2. When I select the URL and long-press, I am getting a row of buttons, which of course includes a 'copy' button.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You could workaround this problem by sending the page to Gmail App, and there you can copy the URL from the draft message body. Then you can delete the draft from Gmail.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Try this free app: To Clipboard

Install it and it will be added as a new share option, so you can send there the URL from Chrome.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Use share from more(3 vertical dots) besides address bar. You will get copy to clipboard from various options of sharing. (Android 4.2.2 on Sony xperia z)

# Answer
> 0 votes
Chrome browser. Samsung 10" tablet.

1. Get the URL you want to copy on the address bar.
2. Scroll it as far right as it will go.
3. Touch the URL lightly and it will be selected in blue.
4. Very lightly touch an area on the left of the URL and pull it to the right.
5. You can now use the selector handle to select the new area.
6. Repeat until you have the http(s) showing and touch copy.

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


# Question
Title: How can I make my Google Calendar make sounds when an event is about to begin?
I have OnePlus 3 running Android 8.0 (OxygenOS 5). It currently just shows one notification for every notification I add in the app for an event.

How can I make my Google Calendar make sounds when an event is about to begin?

This is the notification settings for Calendar notifications:

# Answer
You can add additional default notifications in the Google Calendar app.

Inside the app, open the Settings menu. Then tap on the calendar you want to add more notifications to. You'll see a screen like this:
*(this is for my calendar named "Events")*

>

If you tap on "Add another notification" there you can add as many notifications as you'd like, up to one minute before the event starts.

This will result in changing the defaults for every new event you add - for existing events, you'll have to edit them individually to add more notifications.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: notifications, alarm, google-calendar
---


title: Files stealing from device or onedrive

text:
# Question
Title: Files stealing from device or onedrive
I have word files on onedrive and i use word for android to edit theme. I want to know if the are secure. Can other applications acces themes ? Can appliaction that have storage permession steall my files from the device ? Send theme to the web ? Thank you

# Answer
> 1 votes
Yes you can hypothetically copy or clone files using some simple command like `cp` or `dd`

It's almost ridiculous... I use my Android for distribution of my personal copyrighted applications, I am honestly worried about the lack of care taken to protect data .. The Google Play Protect feature seems to illegally sample my applications and copy the copyright protected package names...

I believe the only thing you can do is to include a copyright statement in each file, this will mean that any copying will result in a breach of the copyright act...

The law is the only thing stopping people from doing this, however it is touch and go ( You accept the permission, therefore you give them the right )

It's all a bit strange with Android, because they aren't the owners of Java & Linux, they use Open Source software to build android, so therefore Android "Has" to be an open sourced project...

When it comes to advanced data miners ... They've got everything... Facebook, EBay, Google, etc... All send your data to the Axiom network ( Data Mining Center ) and therefore your Purchases, Online search history, SD card data, contacts, social behaviors etc... are all available to anyone willing to pay for it....

These days, nobody has privacy... It's all part of the Data mining and protection.

You are more likely to have protection by including your copyright statement, it's as simple as ...

> Copyright © "Your identity" 2019. All Rights Reserved.

---
Tags: security, files, onedrive
---


# Question
Title: How do I sync contact lists from outlook.com / Office365 into my Android contacts?
I am successfully syncing my outlook.com and Office365 contacts into my Android contacts (Samsung S9), but I cannot see the contact lists in either account. How do I sync the contact lists? I would like to use them both from Messages and from Outlook. Thanks.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Microsoft has a poor implementation of contacts sync and I was never satisfied with it. After hitting my head against a wall for several years, waiting for Microsoft to improve the sync, I've just made the switch to Google Contacts. Not something that I prefer, but there's no way to have your contact lists or folders synced using any of the official apps. And I have not tried much to rely on a 3rd party app for this purpose.

---
Tags: contacts, outlook, outlook.com
---


# Question
Title: Use Android device to enable my computer to access Bluetooth devices
My computer can communicate with my Android due to being on the same WiFi network. I have Bluetooth headphones and perhaps other Bluetooth devices (Bluetooth mouse, etc). I just bought a Bluetooth dongle for my computer. However, given that my Android device can communicate with my computer anyway via WiFi, I wonder if it's necessary?

If anything, if it's possible, will quality deteriorate?

My question is a bit more awesome than How to use an Android device as bluetooth USB dongle?. This one asks if Computer -\> USB -\> Android phone -\> Bluetooth is possible

I am asking if Computer -\> WiFi -\> Android phone -\> Bluetooth is possible. In fact, I am interested in Computer -\> Bluetooth -\> Android phone -\> Bluetooth too.

Why would I? Well, Windows 10 cannot connect to 5 Bluetooth headsets at once. Maybe sending the sound to my smartphone that can connect to 5 would solve that?

# Answer
So, actually making your phone into a Bluetooth dongle is a little bit nasty due to permission issues. *But*, there is another way.

As you are willing to use this "measure" to stream your PC's audio to your Bluetooth headset, you can download an audio streaming app from the Play Store (such as SoundWire for Android), set up the connection between your PC and your smartphone, and *then* you share your phone's media through the phone's Bluetooth service to the headset.

Maybe there can be a loss of synchronization for games and videos, but music will be just fine!
> 0 votes

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Tags: bluetooth
---


# Question
Title: How to port-forward internet using Android Hotspot to PC?
I have a Moto G3 Turbo with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. I use the phone to make WiFi hotspot so I can use internet on my laptop.

I was able to do a successful Metasploit over WAN/Internet, and for that I need to port-forward to my laptop. But the problem is, I don't have any modem or router to actually go to setting login with admin password or anything like that.

What can I do? Is there any app that can do this and whether it needs root permission?

# Answer
> 14 votes
In most cases you won't be able to make inbound connection when using Mobile Data because of **CGNAT** and firewalls at ISP level, as explained by acejavelin in comment. To know the problem in detail and how it can be worked around see How to connect to Android through SSH over 3G/4G public IP?

However if you can reach your phone from internet, extending this access to a connected host (PC in your case) is not a problem. Port forwarding is done with routers, and when being used as a Wi-Fi hotspot (or with USB tethering), your phone is in fact acting as a router.

## ROOT SOLUTION:

In order to forward port, you need to do Destination Address Translation (**DNAT**) using Linux kernel's builtin firewall userspace tool `iptables`.

First make sure that kernel is configured to forward internet traffic (already set when hotspot is ON):

```
~# echo 1 >/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward

```

Let's say the IP address assigned by hotspot to PC is `192.168.43.10` and you want to forward SSH default port (`22`):

```
~# iptables -t nat -I PREROUTING -p tcp --dport 22 -j DNAT --to 192.168.43.10

```

This is the simplest form of Port Forwarding.

If default POLICY of FORWARD chain in FILTER table is not ACCEPT, define rules explicitly to accept the forwarded packets:

```
~# iptables -I FORWARD -p tcp -d 192.168.43.10 --dport 22 -j ACCEPT

```

Also accept outbound forwarded traffic if needed.

## NON-ROOT SOLUTION:

On non-rooted devices you can use `adb` or some other minimal **TCP/UDP server** like `netcat` or `socat` for port forwarding. Note that **this won't work for ports under 1024**. To forward port `2222`:

```
~$ adb reverse tcp:2222 tcp:2222

```

Or on phone:

```
~$ nc -lk -p 2222 -e nc 192.168.43.10 2222

```

<sup> * `nc` is a busybox applet. But make sure that you get the right binary, there are multiple implementations of `netcat`.
* Use `-u` option to forward UDP port. </sup>

However `nc` accepts only a single connection at a time. Use `socat` or `ncat` for more advanced options, e.g. from Termux:

```
~$ socat tcp-l:2222,fork,reuseaddr tcp:192.168.43.10:2222

```

See Using netcat for port forwarding.

There are also apps like Fwd (it's open-source, I have no affiliation) meant for port forwarding.

---

## SOURCE:

---
Tags: applications, wi-fi, networking, internet, wifi-tethering
---


# Question
Title: How to check which app changes home background image
The background of my homescreen keeps changing and I do not know what causes it. I can change the background manually, but after a certain moment of time it just changes automatically to another background. It is really annoying. I mean... I do not hate baby's. But I do not want them randomly eating biscuits on the background of my phone .

# Answer
An app must have the permission `android.permission.SET_WALLPAPER` to change wallpaper. I suggest you find out which apps have that permission and than try to disable or remove some of those app one by one until you no longer have that problem.

You can use a permission checker app to find those app. User Izzy maintains a nice list here if you need help finding one. I have used aSpotCat earlier so I'm showing you how you can use it to list all the apps having that permission.

1. Launch the app.
2. Choose List apps by permission
3. Scroll down and choose Misc. Permission
4. Tap the three horizontal line icon next the Misc. Permission to list the permissions instead of the apps.
5. In the search bar (tap the lens icon) type `android.permission.SET_WALLPAPER`
6. Under Set Wallpaper category you can find the apps which have the permission to change wallpaper.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: lock-screens, home-screen, background-process
---


# Question
Title: How can I install / debug applications on nanopi m4 Android board?
I have a nanopi m4 Android board, usb type c port for charging and data (and debugging maybe), four usb 3.0 ports, Android 8.1

I need to use adb,

# what I have tried

1. use the charging / data port (usb type c) for debugging, the board couldn't boot, it goes through a loop trying to boot, I guess because of not enough delivered power;
2. looking for the debug over Wifi feature in the Android settings, but I didn't find this option.

# Question

What other debugging options do I have?

# This might help

* I can put an App in SD card and use it
* I can host a temporary web server to get the app to the board

# Answer
# Problem Solved

Somebody just figured out how to do it: power the board using two power bins and use the usb-c for debugging.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: usb, debug, adb
---


# Question
Title: How to tweak camera/screen for Whatsapp web QR scanner
This is **NOT** a duplicate of Why I can't scan the WhatsApp QR? or Can't scan QR code for WhatsApp web due to camera inverted or tilted on Galaxy Y Duos.

* I'm using CyanogenMod 11 (snapshot M12) on HTC One X
* I have the latest WhatsApp 2.12.250

I'm trying to scan the WhatsApp web QR code on my computer. On my Android Whatsapp, I'm able to get to the point where the scanner is active, and the green scan bar goes up and down, but it never manages to capture the QR code on my computer screen.

I tried to scan the same code using the ZXing Barcode Scanner, and it only works when I turn on "Use auto focus", "No continuous focus", "No exposure".

The camera lense on my HTC One X is slightly scratched up, and the camera pictures has long been foggy. I suspect that the combination of my crappy camera and the computer LCD screen is preventing me from scanning the QR code.

So, since I can't change the camera setting in the Whatsapp QR scanner, is there any tip on how I can maximize the scannability of this web QR code?

# Answer
first of all, make sure you have a high speed internet connection. If so then do -

* hold still your phone in landscape mode and try to scan for atleast 10 sec.. (worked for my galaxy-y duos)
> 2 votes

# Answer
for crapy phones, i just cut the QR code a paste in paint, zoom in and capture perfectly
> 0 votes

# Answer
I had issues with this due to my wide angle screen. If I moved the QR code to my 4:3 screen all of a sudden the scan would work normally. So, perhaps you can either change the resolution of your screen to one that is of a different ratio or take a screen shot of your QR code and then stretch it slightly (not just resize) to change it's height to width ratio until the WhatsApp scanner manages to read it.
> -1 votes

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger, camera, qr-code
---


# Question
Title: Gmail notification on lock screen does not show subject
On my new Samsung Galaxy S9 running Android Oreo, new email notifications (Gmail app) do not show the email subject. This happens even if I just have a single email notification. If I unlock the phone and check the notification shade, it has all the required details.

I am wondering if there is a setting on Samsung phones that causes notification details to be hidden on the lock screen for the sake of privacy.

This was working fine on my Pixel.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Found it! The setting to change is here:

Open the **Gmail** app. Go to Settings \> (Email address) \> Manage Notifications \> Lock screen \> Show content

# Answer
> 0 votes
There should be an app setting (Settings \> Apps \> Gmail) to allow or disallow sensitive content on the lock screen. There should also be a standard setting in Settings \> Security to disallow sensitive notifications on the lock screen. I am not very sure of how Samsung implements them. But should be there somewhere.

---
Tags: notifications, gmail, samsung-galaxy-s-9
---


# Question
Title: How to find the unboxing date of an Android device?
Someone told me that he has opened a phone only 4 days ago, but by the look of it, it is not less than a month.

When trying to buy a used phone, is there any way to check how long this phone is in use? Or the date when this phone is turned on the first time? Or the time of unboxing? Or the time of the first usage?

# Answer
You can simply go the Service menu of your phone and see the total call time which is very hard to reset. By that, you can *assume* how long it has been used.

As of Android 4.3 Jellybean, that is the **best** you can get.
> 5 votes

# Answer
This answer was given by izzy on this question. I won't take credit for it so do not upvote this answer. please go to izzy's answer and upvote there.

* with your Google account's credentials, log in to the Google Dashboard
* Scroll to the section labeled "Android" and expand it (by clicking its title / the LGM \[little green man\])
* Check the entry for the device you want to know the date for
> 1 votes

# Answer
1. Checking for the timestamps on various folders in internal storage.

Android folders might be created at the time of ROM installation (device manufacturing), but many app folders are created on the date of activation. Firmware updates don't generally remove this, though factory reset might. However, the issue is checking the correct folders which change from device to device, and a factory reset might also reset these dates.
2. Checking the age of the battery.

Counting cycles of battery use could be a rough way. Even checking the absolute battery capacity relative to original battery capacity could give an idea. However, if the battery is changed, this fails irrespective of the age.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Another option to find the date the device was physically built:

Settings (scroll to bottom) \> About phone (scroll all the way down to the bottom again) \> build date

Just checked this out on my phone. I unboxed the phone in November 2013, and the phone shows build date from September 2013, so that seems to be it.

model: Droid MAXX

Android version: 4.4
> -1 votes

---
Tags: operating-system
---


title: jpeg don't pass on mac

text:
# Question
Title: jpeg don't pass on mac
android 5,1 on soyes 6,1, photos on SD card (FAT32), not on the phone storage; when connected the jpeg don't open on mac's aperçu, announce corrupted (missing meta dates); on the phone (android) it appears normally. what's wrong ?

# Answer
Problem solved...: I started directly using the phone choosing SD for memory, including of course photos. And that problem came out. Untill I changed tothe phone memory, then photos are normally available on mac. Going back then using again SD as memory, the problem is gone, photos available also on mac. It looks like it was necessary to start photographing at leaast once with phone memory, BEFORE switching to SD memory. Now it works. Hope this will be usefull to other soyes users... Bertrand Chevalley
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop
---


# Question
Title: Can the Android keyboard input be forced to display on the screen?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 (GT-N5110) tablet on Android 5.1.1. want to force the Android keyboard input to be displayed on the screen. Previously, holding the menu button down brought the keyboard up in ScummVM, but now it tries to open a search app.

I have changed the action to nothing, but all that happens is the ScummVM input window loses focus when I hold down the menu key.

Can the Android keyboard input be forced to display on the screen?

# Answer
> 0 votes
ScummVM (2.0.0) in particular has its own keyboard which you can access by tapping the button in the top left corner.

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Tags: keyboard
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# Question
Title: Help an idiot gain confidence / know what to do after a TWRP Data wipe
I rooted my phone sometime mid-2018 or something, just followed some instructions somewhere on how to root. Right now I have TWRP and Magisk on this phone.

Currently, I have a strange dilemma with the phone lagging on certain apps that my other devices like an Asus Zenfone 5 would not. I figured that it might be time for a reset.

Before I rooted my phone, this was pretty easy; backup everything, use the OS' Factory Reset functionality, wait for everything to boot up again, then put only what you want back in.

Now with root however, I've been doing a bunch of reading throughout my free time for the week and I still have a bunch of questions unanswered. But I really wanna unclog this device as soon as I can.

1. Is my understanding correct that, because I'm on TWRP, I should use TWRP's Wipe -\> Data instead of just the Android OS' Factory Setting Reset functionality?
2. After I wipe the Data, can I just do the same thing I did unrooted and wait for the OS to boot up and set everything up again? If no, then what should I do (flashing, etc)? If yes, then do I automatically get Magisk back as part of the OS' 'reinstallation' or is there another set of instructions that I have to follow to get Magisk again?
3. Before I do anything, I understand that I should crated a Nandroid backup. But I don't have an SD card for this. After creating the backup, should I then transfer the backup to a separate storage away from the phone before performing the data wipe, or can I keep it wherever TWRP saves it?

Thanks in advance.

# Answer
It would be much easier to find an image (zip) of the Rom you have now, wether it's the stock one or a custom one (Use xdadevelopers to find your phone in the advanced search, and then head to android development for your phone) At this point you should also grab a new (updated) zip of magisk. \[Stock roms are usually found in the general forum for your phone, in a stickied (pinned to the top) post\]

Make a TWRP backup, which will only backup your system and apps, not your data. Move that to your computer either by rebooting back to android or enabling adb in TWRP.

Move the selected Rom, gapps and magisk zips to your phone storage, and select WIPE \> selecting both caches, system and data. Not the internal storage. You should also use the inbuilt file manager to nuke the Android folder.

After that completes, follow your Rom installation instructions on the xda forum post (usually flashing Rom + Gapps (which they should specify, if not get opengapps the minimal version like pico or the one above it). Sometimes you'll have to flash a patch with the Rom too). When the Rom+Gapps install finishes reboot into system. This will help you diagnose if the system fails to boot at the end of this reinstall. If everything is good go back to TWRP and flash magisk. You are done now. Don't forget to open the magisk app when you reboot to finish the setup.

If you fail to boot after Rom+gapps, go back and wipe both caches, system and data (leaving internal data), then try installing just the Rom. If it fails, find a new Rom. If the Rom is good, then you need a smaller gapps package, or a different one. I think slimgapps are good too, but I've never had opengapps fail on me.

Gl
> 0 votes

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Tags: rooting, factory-reset, twrp, magisk
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# Question
Title: How to get around block of unknown apps when "unknown sources" is enabled?
I just bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab A and I want YouTube Vanced on the tablet. But it won't let me install it because it's an "unknown" app. Yes, I have enabled "unknown sources" and it still won't let me install the app.

A side note it's not blocking only YouTube vanced, it's blocking **all** unknown apps.

What can I do to get around this?

Here's a screenshot of the message:

# Answer
> 1 votes
I turned off Play Protect & went to `Settings > Security > More Security Options` and cleared the credentials and was able to successfully install YouTube vanced and other apps!

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Tags: installation
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