I want to execute two commands in the same line on Android terminal emulator.
Example: the two commands
svc wifi disableand `exit
I want to create a widget to disable the WLAN and out of the terminal emulator app at the same time, and in the terminal emulator app widget, I can only put one command.
When the screen times out, a screen lock activates that needs to be swiped down. After 5 minutes, a phone lock pattern is activated. Now when I turn on the display I need to both swipe down and enter the unlock pattern.
Is there an option to not need to do both? Optimally, I want the first 5 minutes to require a swipe down and after 5 minutes to require the pattern
I'm using htc desire hd, android 2.2, unrooted (is there a fix when rooted?)
I have an Optimus Elite, and it has a minimum brightness setting. In certain apps, I can reduce the brightness below the safe minimum, but when I leave the app, the brightness is increased to the system-wide minimum.
Using RootDim, I can permanently set the brightness below the safe amount, and it will stay even after going to other apps. Or using Screen Filter, I can accomplish almost the same thing even without needing root (it displays a translucent 'filter' over the whole screen, reducing brightness/contrast but not actually changing the backlighting power amount).
What I want to know is where the minimum screen brightness is stored. I have a rooted phone with CyanogenMod 9, so I have permissions to edit anything and could change a config or sqlite entry, but I don't know where this value is stored. What I would like to do is use the status bar brightness slider to be able to slide to the actual minimum of the screen, rather than the OS-controlled minimum. Having an app is useful, but having the functionality without the app seems to be within reach, if only I knew where the OS is getting it's safe minimum setting.
Where is this "safe minimum brightness" setting stored? If I can change it, I can remove my apps and use native controls.
Recently I want to record some screen videos like to show when bugs happen and e.t.c.Is it possible on a unrooted Sony xperia m2 aqua?If yes how?
Answer
Now, as Sony Xperia M2 and M2 Aqua have received Lollipop 5.1.1 update, you can start recording your screen with the help of screen recorder apps such as Screen Recorder by NLL.
My Nexus 7 had been performing without any issues, however, I locked the screen by pressing the power button as usual and then tried to turn it on several hours later but it was unresponsive.
How can I fix this?
Answer
I've managed to deal with this problem by performing a "soft reset".
Hold down the power button for around 30 seconds, the device should start a soft reset (i.e. you don't lose any data/settings etc.) and reboot.
--
Why it blocked and prevented me from performing a screen unlock remains to be explained.
I'd like to know what options there are for playing a movie on the Galaxy Note on my TV. The TV is a relatively recent Sony Bravia that sadly appears not to support DLNA. I gather the Galaxy Note doesn't support HDMI - so are there any other options?
Answer
Nowadays there is a plethora of methods to connect a smartphone to a SmartTV.
The following methods can be used:
Option 1 – Using HDTV Adapter
This is the certainly most preferred method, considering the fact that Samsung has dropped support for MHL wired cables (from Note 5, if not mistaken- however MHL is a cheaper method for older devices).
Usage
Connect one end of a universal HDMI cable into the HDTV Adapter.
Connect the other end to the HDMI port on your TV. If your TV has multiple HDMI ports you may use any of the ports. Ensure your TV input settings have the right HDMI port selected. See your TV owner's manual to get more information. (On most TVs you can select HDMI input by pressing the Source button on your remote control and then selecting HDMI 1 or HDMI 2 from the on-screen menu).
Note: Universal HDMI cables are sold separately.
Connect your Travel Charger to the HDTV Adapter.
Connect your Travel Charger to an approved power source.
Connect the HDTV Adapter connector into the Power/Accessory Interface port on your device. This is the same port you normally use to connect your Travel Charger. The TV screen will instantly display what is on your device Home screen.
Note: most digital rights management-protected content cannot be displayed using the HDTV Adapter. Please ensure the HDTV is compatible with viewing videos or other media stored on your phone using the HDTV Adapter. Refer to your TV owner's manual for correct HDMI settings. Your HDTV may not display an image when connecting the HDTV Adapter to a desktop dock.
Option 2 – Miracast
This option allows you to mirror any screen on your device wirelessly.
1.If you do not have a smart TV that supports Miracast, purchase one of the following items, and connect it to an available HDMI port on your TV.
Usage
Requirements
TV compatible with the Miracast Technology and yes, most of the latest Television arrives with a Miracast enabled. Firstly, turn on your TV and change or leave the display to “input mode”
Now, with your Android phone, goto Settings >> Display >> Cast screen
Select “Enable Wireless Display”
Wait for it to search and detect the TV Miracast screen, which when detected, it will show it on your phone’s cast screen.
When it has displayed the TV Miracast on your phone is to select it and your android device screen will then start displaying on your TV screen
Option 3 - Cable connection
TVs, monitors and projectors that support the standard HD resolution have at least one special HDMI port which also provides power; all you need to do is pick up a microUSB to HDMI (passive MHL) cable and plug it in. ( i.e from android phone to TV) - You can plug the MHL/HDMI cable directly to ports and start enjoying movies without need to copy them with a flash stick.
This method is a cheap, convinient for older devices
Option 4 -DLNA (with wired or wireless LAN)
Uses a similar method to miracast, but has slightly different requirements;
Android DLNA app ( choose one from playstore)
The TV is already DLNA enabled.
Steps
Configure your DLNA server ( Android) and select the files/movies and enable sharing.
For example my setup looks like this:
DLNA android (click image for larger variant)
Android DLNA media server
Remarks: These methods are not just restricted to samsung devices only, but in my opinion any android device with supported technologies
References.
Privacy issues and of course turning Bluetooth completely off-- all aside, if I enable "Make device discoverable" will that draw more power than not? As long as Bluetooth is "on", is it always drawing the same power regardless?
Any idea how we can do this in Android?
For those of you at work who can't watch the video, it's a demo of an iPhone app that came out today called Word Lens, which in translates language in real-time through the camera. If you point it at a sign in Spanish, it doesn't just output a translated text, it makes it look as though the sign were in English. Un-freaking-believable!
The closest thing I have seen is Google Goggles but I don't think it even comes close to Word Lens. Am I missing anything? Do we have any awesomeness like this yet?
Answer
Looks like Google Goggles is as good as it's going to get for now. From what I've read in the comments and around the web it sounds like that Word Lens video makes the app look a lot better than it actually is. For now it looks like Goggles, while it may not be in real-time is a more accurate option.
I would like to pull the boot image of my device Pipo N7. I don't have root. I found the following link:
Backup/dump kernel image without root or twrp/cwm`
But when I try to find /dev -name 'by-name' 2>/dev/null I can't get it to work it seems I need root.
Is there any other way to get the boot image pulled without root?
P.S. I would have commented on that link but I'm not allowed to since I don't have enough reputation.
Answer
To answer my own question!
Warning, in some very rare cases this doesn't work or could be dangerous. For example, Amazon Fire devices refuse to communicate with these tools despite being MediaTek. Tools like SPFT uses a DA (for Download Agent) to communicate with the MediaTek bootloader, but the MediaTek bootloader has some configurable settings so that it only accepts DA signed by the manufacturer. There are some generic devices bricking after sending an unsigned DA.
Use at your own risk.
There is a post on Hovatek Forum that guides you thru the process of downloading the full ROM of your device without the need of being rooted. Here is the link to that post. [Tutorial] How to use Wwr_MTK + SP Flash tool to backup Mediatek rom
This will provide you with the full rom divided into its separate image files.
This should work for any Mediatek device that's not locked.
Following is a a shortened copy of that post:
Requirements
Steps to download your devices ROM
WwR_MTK_2.exe.Auto mode from the Tabs menu.Settings->About on your device. 
EMMC (I'm not sure where to find this info for your device).Create and save as... Save the file and note the folder you saved it to. This is temp "Scatter File" (Later you will be making a new full Scatter file with more information. This one only has info for the preloader).Goto the folder you just saved the file to. Open in a text editor and look for the following info: physical_start_addr: 0x0 partition_size: 0x80000 region: EMMC_BOOT_1
mark down this info as it appears in your file. (These are only example info from my file)
Extract Sp Flash Tool to a folder of your choosing. Go into folder and start flash_tool.exe.
Download tab. By Scatter-loading File click onchoose` and select the scatter file you saved in step #5.Select Readback tab. Click on Add, this will add a new line. Double click on this new line leave the name as ROM-0. Mark down the folder where you are saving this then click Save to save the file.
When you click Save a new dialog pops up in this dialog set the info as per the info you marked down from step #6 then click OK. physical_start_addr -> Start address partition_size -> Length region -> Region
Make sure you device is powered off and disconnected from the computer (if you can take out the battery take it out for about 1 minute, then replace it).
Click on Read Back, now connect you device to the computer via usb cable. You should see the bottom of the screen a red progress bar then a yellow progress bar. This may take some time (about 1 - 2 minutes) until your device is recognized. Wait untill there is a pop up dialog that says "Download OK".
Return to Wwr_MTK tool, then Click on Select File at the top right hand corner. Navigate to where you saved the ROM_0 file in step #9, select this file.
Select Preloader tab from the Tabs menu. Click on `Preloader analysis, there may be incorrect info on the screen ignore it.
Click on To extract preloader and save as.. (at the bottom left of screen). Rename the file to preloader.bin and select the same folder you selected in step #5 for the temp scatter file then click Save to save.
Now we will get the length of the total ROM this is needed in order to be able to download the ROM. We will preform a RAM test in SP Flash Tools to get that info. (if you have problems with the following directions please look Here and Here)
Return to SP Flash Tools, select Memory Test tab only tick the box for RAM Test, make sure the rest of the boxes are unticked.
Turn off you device the same as in step #11. Click on Start at the top right of the screen. Connect you device via usb to computer. wait for the "Format Ok" dialog. mark down the HEX number under EMMC_PART_USER, this is the size of the full ROM.
Select Readback tab to preform a full read back of the ROM. Click on Add, double click on the new line added. Leave the name as ROM-1, click Save. Turn off device as in step #11, click Read Back, connect device via usb. Wait for the dialog stating that it went OK. This will take a while depending on the size of your ROM. Don't disconnect you device while this is working.
Return back to the Wwr_MTK tool. On the Auto mode tab in number 3 click on Select File then navigate to the location of the ROM_1 file and select it. the tool will scan the file and prompt you for the file containing the preloader select either the file 'preloader.bin' or ROM_0.
At the bottom left of screen click on Create scatter file...
The items highlighted in PINK color are usually not needed when flashing, untick them (You may want to untick the userdata and cache as well especially if you are downloading from a device that hasn't been used or has been factory reset.).
Auto mode tab, Click on To build the firmware (Cut to partitions and create scatter file), Select the folder you want to download the ROM to. (Its a good idea to save it to an empty folder). When the tool is done you will see Done!!! in the empty space above number 4 in the tools screen.Congratulations!!! You are now done and have a copy of your ROM in the folder you selected in step #24.
*) If your chipset doesn't appear in Wwr tool then you can manually add it in order to create the temporary scatter file.
I want to buy this song, but it appears it's only offered on iTunes. I have no idea if it's DRM protected or not, I just want it on my Moto X.
I would like to purchase the song directly from my phone, but I have both a PC and a Mac
When I follow links about rooting the Kindle Fire HD, I have the impression its not possible with the latest versions?
I have one bough just now, July 2013. Can I do it?
(The main issue is Google Play)
Answer
It seems that this is possible for both versions of the HD (7", OS version 7.4.3 and 8.9", OS version 8.4.3). I found XDA Developer forums for 7" HD version 7.4.3 and 8.9" HD version 8.4.3. For the purposes of making this post self-contained, I will assume that you have the 7" version.
The steps are:
Extract the file.
This step is very important. Uninstall any drivers you have for the Kindle Fire HD. Connect your Kindle to the PC via USB. Press the Windows Start button and search "Device Manager". Go to "Portable Devices". Right-click on Kindle and choose "Properties". Go to "Driver" and click "Uninstall". Then unplug the Kindle from the PC.
Download and install Kindle Fire ADB drivers. (see original forum for links to these)
On your Kindle Fire HD, go to Settings > Security. Mark "Enable ADB" - ON.
Connect the Kindle Fire HD to the PC via USB. Wait until automatic installation completes and Kindle is recognized.
Navigate to the folder where you extracted the Bin4ry method, double-click RunMe.bat, and choose option 1.
On the Kindle Fire HD, select the option "Backup My Data" and wait until the backup completes (when the backup completes, press any key on the computer). Then select the option "Restore My Data" (This will not erase any data or files) and wait until the restore completes (when the restore completes, press any key on the computer).
Your device will reboot twice.
When your device boot, select the option "Restore My Data" once again (this will not erase any data or files) and wait until the restore completes (when the restore completes, press any key on the computer). Your device will reboot once again.
When your device boot, unlock your device and go to "Apps Drawer", you should see the "Superuser" App.
You're done!
I did two things to install Xposed. Firstly, I flashed xposed-v75-sdk21-x86.zip and then installed the .apk file. I can now uninstall the app itself but how can I erase the flashed file of the .zip?
Also, where are the modules stored? How to delete the modules completely?
Device is LG G3 D855. Running on Cloudy G3 ROM.
Answer
Note: provided that you end up at this post in search of solving the bootloop issue caused by an Xposed module, my answer here would better help you .
I can now uninstall the app itself but how can I erase the flashed file of the .zip?
See the attached files in the first post of this thread. In relevance to your device's CPU architecture, download the uninstaller archive and flash it from the custom recovery. It would undo the changes the installer archive made.
In essence, the installer archive keeps the original system files but appends in their name .orig or convert them into archives (unofficial installers do). It then places its modified files at their location. All uninstaller does is remove the modified and extra files and change the backed up files back to their original self.
Relevant section from the uninstaller script
echo "- Restoring/removing files"
rm -f /system/xposed.prop
rm -f /system/framework/XposedBridge.jar
restore_link /system/bin/app_process32 0 2000 0755 u:object_r:zygote_exec:s0
restore_backup /system/bin/dex2oat 0 2000 0755 u:object_r:dex2oat_exec:s0
restore_backup /system/bin/oatdump 0 2000 0755
restore_backup /system/bin/patchoat 0 2000 0755 u:object_r:dex2oat_exec:s0
restore_backup /system/lib/libart.so 0 0 0644
restore_backup /system/lib/libart-compiler.so 0 0 0644
restore_backup /system/lib/libart-disassembler.so 0 0 0644
restore_backup /system/lib/libsigchain.so 0 0 0644
restore_backup /system/lib/libxposed_art.so 0 0 0644
if [ $IS64BIT ]; then
restore_link /system/bin/app_process64 0 2000 0755 u:object_r:zygote_exec:s0
restore_backup /system/lib64/libart.so 0 0 0644
restore_backup /system/lib64/libart-compiler.so 0 0 0644
restore_backup /system/lib64/libart-disassembler.so 0 0 0644
restore_backup /system/lib64/libsigchain.so 0 0 0644
restore_backup /system/lib64/libxposed_art.so 0 0 0644
fi
If you've the knowledge of setting the appropriate SELinux context for a file in Android from recovery mode, you can simply map the files the installer would've changed, revert the changes using command-line and set the correct context. No uninstaller would be required.
Note: If you're not using the official Xposed Framework then the uninstaller may not work for you. It may even cause unforeseen issues. Best is to search the web for the uninstaller.
Also, where are the modules stored?
/sdcard/Download./data/app or the locations covered here by Izzy. Alike every app, there data directory would be found under /data/data.How to delete the modules completely?
Deleting an Xposed module is no different than removing any user installed app from Android. So, you can use any technique that you would use to remove an ordinary app.
Note that the file XposedBridge.jar under /system/framework/ is what provides modules the necessary APIs to interact with the modified framework.
Use the file Xposed-Disabler-Recovery.zip located at /sdcard/Android/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer/files. Flash that file from recovery mode (requires a custom recovery) to disable Xposed Framework. If you don't have such file, download it from the first post of the official thread.
That archive, in essence, changes /system/bin/app_process.orig to /system/bin/app_process i.e. it removes the modified app_process and brings the original file back to its glory. It doesn't delete the Installer app. You can make those changes on your own too using adb in recovery mode.
The concept of modules here is no different from what is covered in the above section.
A few months ago a relative picked up a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N9006) while in China. The price was low so he didn't think much of it. The phone looks genuine and when it boots up it shows the Samsung logo and all that.
While researching a problem with the preinstalled apps - see my other question here - and looking into rooting it, and/or installing a custom rom, it was made clear that I had to be careful to pick the right rom for the device. It was also pointed out that there are clones of these phones which complicates the problem.
So, my question is, how do I know if I have a genuine Samsung Note 3 or a cheap clone?
Device Info:
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9006
Android 4.4.2
Baseband: MT6582
Build: JSS15J.N9006ZCUBMI5
EDIT:
It was suggested that if a code in the dialer can NOT bring a debugging menu on screen then it is a clone. Well, the code worked for me. It showed a set of buttons for various hardware components like, wifi, flash, speakers etc. They did perform basic tests on a couple that I tried.
Where does the LINE app store pictures and videos that are received through it?
I don't see them in Gallery.
Answer
Pictures and videos from the LINE app are stored under the following directory:
/sdcard/Android/data/jp.naver.line.android/storage/gallerybig
All the audio files are placed under directory:
/sdcard/Android/data/jp.naver.line.android/cache/mo/(folder)/[audio files]
Profile pictures are cached in directory:
/sdcard/Android/data/jp.naver.line.android/storage/p
Just rename the files to .jpg to view them.
Update:
With recent update, the download folder name for image, video, and voice files has been changed to LINE. Please check the LINE folder when you look for files.
I want to flash the new Update for the OnePlus 5T but TWRP is not asking for a decryption password as usual and hence cannot mount the data partition.
It's possible that this is not working since the last update (OnePlus 5T OxygenOS 4.7.6).
Is there a way to force the decryption, for instance by some command in the TWRP terminal? Or is there a way to reset this?
In the Android settings, the Encryption Option is not changeable, it just says "Encrypted".
UPDATE: Obviously OTA Updates are possible now, I don't know how. Till now, with custom recovery and/or root this was an issue and not possible so you had to download the Update manually and install it through TWRP or other recovery.
During OTA Update, the recovery was overwritten with the original from Oneplus.
The option for Smartphone encryption in the settings remains unchangeable, so I believe I could not change the code if I wanted to.
Google Keep on Android seems to convert arbitrary numeric data into clickable phone numbers. Any sequence of 5 or more digits, with differing punctuation seems to trigger it. I seem to have triggered this a lot so far and not once have I actually typed a phone number! This is proving to be quite problematic. The hypertext'd numbers are too easy to tap, particularly when you are going back to edit that text, which then transports you away to the dialer! Most annoying.
Is there any way to prevent the app from doing this?
UPDATE: I installed the update to 1.0.79 today but there is no change in this behaviour yet. In fact I can't see that anything has changed with this update?! Possibly bug fixes I guess, but nothing new is listed in the official change log either?!
However, this over zealous hyperlinking of numbers is more prevalent than I first thought... the default text messaging app does it as well - so I guess they share a common text-element?
Answer
Looks to be bad recognition by Google's code. :-/ Happens on mine as well and no setting can change it.
Google is surprisingly receptive to feedback on its apps (a bug fix I reported made it into Google Music's update!), so two ways to get this fixed:
Go to Keep's page and click "Email Developer" and write this up. Or, within Keep, Menu -> Send Feedback.
I have recently have had to flash my GApps package on Cyanogen. As a result all the application that were previously listed in the installed apps section are no longer present any more.
Is there any way I can add them back there so that PlayStore will continue to track updates for them ?
I have a few devices I want to put back from custom roms to stock. On almost every stock rom source, however, there are dire warnings for some devices not to downgrade to stock versions from before your latest installed rooted rom version. For example, from Androidayos:
UPDATE: DO NOT DOWNGRADE back to the old stock firmware version. Once your Galaxy Note 2 already runs on 4.4.2 based rooted ROM you should only revert back to 4.4.2 stock firmware, same as it goes if you are on 4.3 you may install and stay on 4.3 and then upgrade to 4.4.2 KitKat but do not ever downgrade to 4.1.2 or 4.1.1 due to the current secured bootloader on every update.
I wish to really understand that warning. For example, if the bootloaders are secure, how is it so easy for people to flash custom roms for the first time, coming from those 'secure bootloader' stock firmware versions? What would actually happen and what problems would arise if one did downgrade just as is proscribed in the warning? If there's a "current secured bootloader on every update," why is it safe to flash the same version that one is currently running rooted, but downgrading is not? And so forth…
I'm doing this to several devices, but the best is example is a Samsung Note II currently running Cyanogenmod 12.1, which is 5.1.1 Lollipop. In that device's case, every stock firmware is an older Android version than Lollipop, since no brand pushed OTA updates beyond 4.4 KitKat. If I go back to stock 4.4.2 KitKat, I'm going 5.1 to 4.4—doing what they're warning against. How do warnings like that pertain to devices in this state, and what should I expect?
A couple of weeks ago the built in sync of mail, contacts and calendar stopped working. Sync is activated for all three and it seems to sync sometimes, but not all the time as it is supposed to do (it did). E.g. mail and contacts synced at 2:34am and calendar synced at 7:30am (but it's 10:11pm now).
Any ideas?
Solution:
I went with mlevits advice. I removed my account from the phone via the trick I described now in How can I remove the default Google Account on my phone? (the "clear-all-data" trick did not work and I did not want to factory reset the phone). After I reentered my account data the syncing works again. Thanks a lot mlevit!
Answer
From my knowledge of the Sync functionality on the Android it only syncs when it has something new on one of those services. It uses Push technology to send you the latest updates as soon as they become available.
If however new items are appearing in your mail, contacts and/or calendar and it's still not syncing then I would recommend you remove your Google account and re-add it again.
NB. I did have an issue with Sync once where it just wasn't pushing any emails to my phone... it fixed itself after a couple of days.
I know how to copy pictures received on Whatsapp to my computer, but I don't see audio files received on Whatsapp anywhere to be accessed and transfered to my computer. Any suggestion?
Answer
The path to access/view then in your device is as below:
WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Voice Notes/
This is inside your internal Storage.
Go inside this folder, choose a voice note that you want to send to your computer. These audio notes file names are starting with PTT.
Select "Share" option and choose from available choices such as Email, Gmail, Bluetooth etc. Send it using any one of these and receive it on your computer.
If you connected via USB, then you may want to copy these files to External SD-card and then browse it using file explorer via PC. Those files be shown as ADTS Audio files which you then can copy into your computer/PC.
Is there a way to have it so notifications/messages fill the screen, so I can't help but notice them when I pick my phone up?
Using an LG-Ally
I am using Exchange ActiveSync with Android version 4.1.2, but cannot find the option to choose which folders to sync within my mailbox. A technote on the Samsung website (albeit the US version) says this option should be there. Does anyone have any ideas?
When I go to bed, I usually put my Samsung Galaxy Ace in airplane mode to use it as an alarm clock/music player, while saving battery. I can enter that mode successfully.
However, after I enter that mode, sometimes I can't leave that mode since the option (the second one in the list) is greyed out: I have to reboot. Any ideas?
I'm using Android 2.3.4 and my phone is rooted.
If you're running out of memory which happens a lot on low-end android devices like Samsung galaxy Y, Samsung galaxy Y-DUOS etc. and want more free space for your apps, then this post is for you..
I'm experiencing this issue since a month or so. I was using the camera and I received a message of some memory error, but was able to continue taking pictures. Then I realized that the pictures were not showing up in the gallery.
I connected the device to my PC and the files are actually there. In addition, I am able to continue taking pictures and access the files when using the camera (I touch the recent photos icon and I can see them).
I have tried many things, such as removing the DCIM folder, erasing the .nomedia files, erasing data from the internal memory, and none of them seemed to work. Could anyone help me?
Thanks,
Agustin
I have the Nexus 5 from Google Play running stock Android 4.4.2. My home button takes me to the far left panel (the one next to Google Now). I added a panel to the left of it, but that changed my home button to taking me to that panel. Is there a way I can configure it to go to the center panel? I'd really prefer not to have to install another launcher.
Answer
Currently, the default google launcher does not allow any customisation. In order to go to a particular screen, you need a custom launcher. There is no other way around it.
I have been reading conflicting information about the GPS signal lock in the XDA Developers Forums.
Certain users say they have to be outdoor to get any lock in to satellites, others say they could lock in their home basement.
Which one is it?
Answer
GPS uses radio frequencies between 1 and 2 GHz (L1 signal at 1.57542 GHz and L2 signal at 1.2276 GHz). These have to get through for GPS to work, which is not the same as visibility.
For example, my GPS (Garmin Etrex Legend HCx) gets a fix on the top floor of the house, below the roof made of tiles, insulation and drywall. It doesn't get a fix on lower floors, where there's too much concrete and steel in between.
BTW, I had a Motorola Defy for a while, if I remember correctly it also worked, but had a much lower precision, sometimes it was hundreds of meters off.
To gain access to WIFI at university I have to login with my user/pass credentials.
The certificate of their website (the local home page that asks for the credentials) is not recognized as a trusted certificate, so we install it separately on our computers.
The problem is that I don't take my laptop with me often to university, so I usually want to connect using my HTC Magic, but I have no clue on how to install the certificate separately on Android, it is always rejected.
This is what is stated in their website
The certificates contain information certified to generate encryption keys for data exchange, called "sensitive" as the password of a user.
By connecting to CanalIP-UPMC, for example, the user must validate the identity of the server accepting the certificate appears on the screen in a "popup window". In reality, the user is unable to validate a certificate knowing, because a simple visual check of the license is impossible.
Therefore, the certificates of the certification authority (CRU-Cybertrust Educationnal-ca.ca Cybertrust and-global-root-ca.ca) must be installed prior to the browser for the validity of the certificate server can be controlled automatically.
Before you connect to the network-UPMC CanalIP you must register in your browser through the certification authority Cybertrust-Educationnal-ca.ca Download the Cybertrust-Educationnal-ca.ca, depending on your browser and select the link below :
With Internet Explorer, click on the link following.
With Firefox, click on the link following.
With Safari, click the link following.
If this procedure is not respected, a real risk is incurred by the user: that of being robbed password LDAP directory UPMC. A malicious server may in fact try very easily attack type "man-in-the-middle" by posing as the legitimate server at UPMC.
The theft of a password allows the attacker to steal an identity for transactions over the Internet can engage the responsibility of the user trapped ...
This is their website : http://www.canalip.upmc.fr/doc/Default.htm (in French, Google-translate it :))
Anyone knows how to install a web certificate on Android?
When we open the app page on Google Play Store, it says 1k+ downloads. What does this mean? Does this mean current total installs or total installs in life of the app?
Answer
It's the total over the life time of an app. In 2017, Google Play Services was the first app to reach 5 billion downloads. The important point from the article is:
If you're not familiar with how the Play Store works, it's important to note that Play Services hasn't actually been manually downloaded that many times. When someone logs into an Android device with their Google account, Google Play marks the pre-installed apps as downloads. So in reality, this means over five billion devices with Play Services installed were used at some point.
Whether an app was downloaded directly via Google Play or whether it was installed by a manufacturer, Google Play Store counts both occasions as downloads and adds them to the total.
With Google's announcement that there are 2.5 billions (excluding China and Amazon's FireOS) active devices running Android, the number of downloads shown on the app's Google Play page can be skewed if it comes already installed on the devices.
I'm new to this forum, I have lost my Xperia SL yesterday in a bus. I have registered police complaint with my IMEI number. I was trying to locate the phone using android device manager when someone uses my phone's internet. so far nothing is going correct.
When i log in to the google play with my email-id, my mobile phone model has been showing.
I have a doubt that, when the thief does a factory reset, and sign in using a new account in google play, will i able to still detect my phone with its registered model number? will i able to track my mobile with any of the technology? (I have not installed any tracking apps in my mobile). or i have to wait for the police to track it with my imei number?
Can anyone help me to clear my doubts?
I have not changed my password of my gmail, so that i may have the more possibilites of tracking my device.
Answer
As soon as the device gets factory-reset, you can forget about tracking it with Google's Device Manager: As your Google Account on the device is gone then, there's no way for Google's DM to communicate with it.
Unless you've installed some anti-theft solution which integrates with the ROM (and thus survices a factory-reset – a feature offered e.g. by Cerberus, if your device is rooted), you will have lost all control then. But even a ROM-integrated solution would be gone as soon as a new ROM is flashed.
As long as it's still working, you could take a second device and follow the lost one. Once in range that you should be able to see it, you could trigger the 5-minutes-permanent-ringer. In the hope for an "honest finder", who should take this as a proof and hand your device back to you.
Don't wait too long, or the battery might be dead!
Scenario A:
Problem:
My contacts are still seeing me as being "online".
Strangely enough there seems to be no heartbeat feature implemented in Skype.
So even after 1 day my contacts are trying to call me - even though the device is powered off.
Initially I thought this symptom would occur in case i forgot to manually quit the Skype app before shutting down the device.
So i was searching for an answer how to configure Skype to automatically log off / quit when the Android device is shutting down?
But now it turned out the situation is even worse:
Scenario B:
After step 3 I'm still listed as being "online".
When a contact sends me a chat message it pops up.
So it means: even though Skype no longer appears in the task manager it seems to be running as a secret, invisible background task!?
And after step 4 the behaviour is the same as in Scenario A. I'm not transitioning to "offline" state.
Summary:
There seem to be 3 problems:
The only thing that works for me so far:
You must switch to Skype, tap on your profile, at the very bottom manually do "sign out".
That's just not bearable.
This is:
Android 4.1.2
Skype 4.9.0.45564
Skype 5.0.0.49715
Skype 5.1.0.56619
Skype 5.1.0.58677
Skype 5.4.0.5871 (at least I'm now showing as being "Away" - instead of "Online")
2015-08-15 - the problem is back and it's even worse:
Android 5.1.1
Skype 5.9.0.14047
Even though I'm manually signing out, terminating the app and shutting down the Android device I'm still being shown as being "online"!!
--
All of the above tested @ Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (WiFi only) / GT-P3110
My question is similar, but not identical to this one. Essentially I'd like to record videos of unlimited length on my android device(s) - that prior question seems to deal with a technical limitation: max filesize for FAT32. My issue is with an arbitrary limitation: the GNex uses EXT4 so max filesize isn't a reason to cut off my recordings at 30 minutes so I can only assume that this limit must be hard-coded into either the camera app or Android itself.
I understand that for many users you need to do some hand-holding and keep them from sucking down battery life, but I intend to record on a tripod while plugged in so none of that really matters to me. I'm also aware of an antiquated tax act in parts of Europe that heavily taxes devices that can record for > 30 minutes as "video recording devices" but I don't live in Europe and don't want to be limited by the obscure tax code of a country I don't even live in.
Is there a way to disable this limitation so the built-in camera app can record for > 30 minutes? Is there some alternate video recording app that doesn't have this limitation? Do the answers to these questions change if I root my phone?
Answer
Try Magisto. I just tested it initially and managed to record for almost 2.5 hours before I stopped it.
What are the possible difficulties occur if I use external SD card using Format as internal storage ? I have checked this link: How does the "Format as internal storage" feature work in Android 6.0+?
Here are some doubts:
internal storage space increase, if no why?switch with another SD card as external OR restore to earlier?boot device without SD card?upgrade? (upgrading to higher android versions OR to lower android versions )Answer
I used to use Tasker tasks to turn airplane mode on and off automatically when I needed it. Now, it seems, this requires root. But rooting my phone bans me from using Android Pay or any other SafetyNet-locked app. (The latest updates to SafetyNet even detect the new systemless root, and may even be triggered by an unlocked bootloader even on an unrooted phone.)
Is there any way I can reliably turn airplane mode on and off with Tasker or some other automated tool, without losing access to Android Pay?
(Bonus question: why on earth does Google consider turning on airplane mode to be such a dangerous feature that it's banned entirely on non-rooted devices?)
how do I disable the default sending of emails in html format? I would like to compose emails in the text format but I can't find a way to do that. Ideally, this should be the default behaviour with an option to enable html when needed.
Using Android 2.1, Motorola Defy, Standard Email app (might be some Motoblur changes made, I don't know).
Many thanks.
I have a HTC Magic phone with Android 2.2.1 and I want to migrate all accounts (9), apps, sms, settings, etc... to a new phone with Nexus One.
Do you known some Android service/option or free app on Market to do it?
Thanks a lot!
UPDATE
I have migrated successfully :)
Old phone: HTC Magic rooted with Android 2.2.1
New phone: Nexus One rooted with Android 2.3.3
Some problems with settings restore (Wifi, Bluetooth, apps, etc...).
Thanks!
Answer
If you are rooted, use Titanium Backup. You won't be able to restore some things, since the Nexus One and HTC Magic have some very different system apps, but most should carry over. After backing up with TB, copy /mnt/sdcard/titaniumbackup/ to your PC. Then on the N1: install TB, copy the folder from your PC to the same location on the phone, then run TB and restore.
If you're not rooted, it's difficult to back up most things, especially all at once. I'd rely on Google's backup for your list of apps and that sort of thing, as the other answer suggests.
Possible Duplicate:
How do I disable the on screen keyboard? I have a USB keyboard attached
I'm using a 9.7" Bauhn Android tablet from Aldi running Ice CreamSandwich. I have a Kensington universal keyboard (and case) made for 10“ tablets including Android that I use with my tablet. Is there a way to automatically disable the onscreen keyboard when my Bluetooth one is connected?
Why is Google Play Music constantly running on my galaxy s4? I don't use any music app.
The following message keeps appearing on my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone screen about every three seconds
"Unfortunately, Google Play Services has stopped".
Is it actually a virus or it is a problem with the Google Play Service? I have tried disabling the Google Play Service but the message keeps appearing. I have Norton Mobile running on my phone to pick up on viruses and to alert me to any possible security issues and also Lookout. They haven't picked up anything. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Possible Duplicate:
How many times an Android Market's application can be installed?
If I buy an app and after a few days I decide to wipe out the data on my phone and install a new ROM, will I have to buy that app again or can I download it for free since I had already bought it earlier? Can someone please confirm?
For some reason, either Vodafone UK or YouTube think they are smarter than my own desires and are constantly redirecting my phone to use the mobile version of YouTube.
This would be fine, except whenever I click a direct video link from somewhere else on the web (even from Google results that I got using the phone itself) I get kicked back to the mobile version's index page, with no assistance to find what I was originally trying to watch!
This even happens when I click the "Desktop" link on either my phone or Chrome through wireless hotspotting, and it's extremely irritating - especially through Chrome as that should be the user agent being "detected", if anything - device neutrality anyone?!
If anyone knows at what level this is happening and/or how to stop it, that would be greatly appreciated.
I've done a lot of reading into rooting of Android devices. I really want to know exactly what is going on at each step before I commit to the process.
I'm a little confused as to where the superuser.apk and su files come from. It doesn't look like they are official Google files, but rather files created by a (random) individual. That said, how safe are these files?
From research, I have a general understanding of their purpose. I was wondering if anyone knew what these files were (executables? scripts?), what they contained and how they generally work.
Thanks!
Answer
su (short for Switch User) is a binary executable. It's used by Android and other *nix based systems to allow a process to change the user account it is associated with. The reason it's important from a rooting standpoint is that su without any other parameters will switch to the root user, meaning that processes that require root permission for their functionality need to invoke su (since by default they are not being run by root).
Superuser is an Android application (.apk is an Android application package). It works as a sort of "gatekeeper" to the su binary. Applications which attempt to invoke su will be forced to route through Superuser, which will then prompt the user if it is an unknown or new application. The user then has the option of approving or denying the access to su and optionally having Superuser remember their decision so it can automatically apply it for subsequent calls by that app. By doing this, the only apps which are granted root permissions are ones that the user chooses.
The source of both applications is available on Github, and can be examined/audited by anyone who wishes to look at it (Superuser here, su here).
You can find further details - as well as changelogs - on Superuser's website.
Other related questions on Android Enthusiasts:
I'm thinking about getting a new sd card and read that the class of them really matters. I'm looking at getting a 16gb one with a class not less than class 6. How do I check for the class?
Answer
An SD Card class basically the minimum sequential write speed that the SD card supports. Testing the class of an SD is quite easy, just copy a 1 GB file to an empty card and measure the time it took for the copy. A class 6 SD card should support at minimum 6MB/s.
Also check out the markings on the SD card, there should a logo like the following:
the number in the logo describes the speed class.
I have been using my Samsung Galaxy S5 phone for over a year as the manufacturer intends, NOT rooted. Its a great phone IMO because it has capable enough hardware, but not being root on my phone that I paid good money for isn't cool,
The way I see it is I'm root/admistrator on all of my linux/microsoft machines why doesn't samsung trust me to be on my phone which I use probably more than my laptops.
The main reasons I wish to be root is to remove all the "bloatware" which I never use, to prevent further updates from stealing my memory, and generally for the principle of it. The most current update (which I absolutely refuse to download) is asking for 800MB for "Galaxy Apps store" and "a finger print scanner for microsoft exchange apps".
I think it is completely unreasonable to surrender nearly a GB of space for something I will likely never use, yet the notifications will not go away.
I asked a question a while back where I quickly found out that rooting my phone using Towelroot was not possible since geohot now works for google and that rooting my phone would cause the warranty to be void but why should I care about this?
TLDR
I don't have insurance on my device anyway and have had it for more than a year.
Why should I care about "tripping knox" and is there a way to root my phone without making it a pretty paperweight?
Device: Samsung mobile phone
Android: 4.0.3
My Location Services are enabled, but I am not getting the current location. When I restart the phone, it works.
What could be the problem here?
I download few YouTube videos using YouTube Offline feature introduced recently in an Official YouTube App.
Those videos were accessible to me and I played them successfully, without any issue.
Because of some device issue, I happened to "uninstall updates" of YouTube App. and now I had an old version of YouTube.
I then took the update of YouTube app as I wanted to enjoy the new Offline feature from Google Play store, which had the Offline feature.
But when I went to "Offline" tab in my YouTube App's Navigation Drawer (After Update), I could not see my previously downloaded videos.
Of course, I used same Google Account for my YouTube Sign-in.
So, let me just re-phrase the issue:
Whenever YouTube App's Updates are uninstalled, all offline Videos too are removed.
And when I update YouTube app later(which has Offline feature), App does not contain previously downloaded videos!
Any ideas, how can I get my lost videos??
Answer
The "offline feature" rather counts as cache (note that content downloaded for offline use will be available this way for 2 days only), so it's not considered "your data". You performed a factory-reset. From our factory-reset tag-wiki:
What a factory reset does is basically to "wipe" (delete all content) from the
/cache(holding the application cache) and/data(user data and user-installed apps, dalvik cache) partitions. Other media, like internal-sd and external-sd cards, are usually left untouched – though some devices/ROMs offer options to include them with the wipe.
So that includes your "files cached for offline use".
Also, as correctly pointed out by GiantTree, your comparison with several apps does not apply: Google Drive stores your data in the cloud (not on the device), same for most other "Google Apps". Nor do photos made with a camera app get wiped usually, because they are not affected by a factory reset (see above quote for SD cards).
If anyone could give me some ideas on where i should start with my cracked Nexus 4? I'm trying to pattern unlock, so I can simply access to back-up my important data. I can see the screen, even answer calls but that's it! I figured their has to be a way around the touch screen interface well actually I'm preying there is.
If you know software, a physical device, internet remote, something anything that will allow me to use my phone for temporarily command please let me know ASAP id greatly appreciate it.
I have had my EVO 4G for coming on 2 years.
Lately it has developed this ever so annoying habit of reloading the home screen for 60 seconds any time I return from a memory intensive app such as the Amazon Market or Dolphin Browser, or after I clean up memory.
I have tried cache cleaners, app killers, and periodic rebooting, but it just keeps happening.
The EVO 4G is pretty light on RAM, and I am wondering if I upgrade to a bigger Android device (considering an Epic or Photon), if that will cure the problem?
Anyone have experience with this?
Thanks, Victor
Answer
No not every android phone does this but it is done in many HTC phones. The reason is simple: memory usage.
Here is the breakdown:
When the system is running out of memory, the inbuilt task killer of the system automatically kicks in and checks to see if it can stop an application and recover some RAM. HTC Sense devices employ a launcher that is "heavy" and often uses up a lot of memory so when the task killer sees you are not using your launcher and knows it needs the RAM for another app, it kills the launcher. Thus, when you hit the home button or quit the app, the launcher has to re-initialize.
Tips:
DO NOT use a task-killer if you dont have a low end device. Android already has a built-in one that kills apps and does it safely. Using apps such as "Advanced Taskkiller" actually mess with the way the system kills apps and actually can cause more Force Closes and system instability in the long run.
Additionally, the more RAM the system has, the more the launcher uses to cache stuff it needs. This is good because the launcher becomes more responsive and fast as its using a cached copy instead of grabbing it all over again. If you clear the cache constantly, it needs to re-cache the items and so it will be less responsive.
Use a lighter launcher. Sense might be good but there are more rock solid and light launchers such as Launcher Pro that wont experience this problem. You dont need a new phone with more RAM. Trust me, 1GB of RAM is more than enough with the right system. :)
Is there command line alternative to Chrome Remote Debugging ?
Manually, I can open tabs from chrome://inspect/#devices . As well as I can open Chrome on desktop from CLI - e.g. chrome.exe --incognito --remote-debugging-port=9222.
But is there option to open tabs on Chrome on Android, which is connected to PC from CLI ? I need such option to semi-automate tests. thanks !
Answer
Note: You would need root access to run any command mentioned below for Android 4.2.1.
Contrary to traditional desktop OS, apps in Android are called upon using their component, an Activity. While developers can call the activities using the programming, the end-users are left with command-line to do the calling.
Android has an Activity Manager am to manage the activities, and among other things it can do, the most basic thing it does is to call an activity of an app.
Before we proceed, setup ADB on PC if you haven't since we're going to rely on it. Also make sure that the device is getting detected in PC and by ADB.
The Chrome for Android app's activity responsible for managing tabs is com.google.android.apps.chrome.ChromeTabbedActivity. You can find this activity listed in the said app's AndroidManifest.xml (inside the APK). As for how I came to know about it, I simply launched Chrome, opened a tab, and looked upon the most recent activity using the command:
adb shell dumpsys activity recents
Replace recents with activities for Android 4.2.1.
The real question is:
[Is] there [an] option to open tabs [in] Chrome on Android?
(Obsolete) Enter the following command to do that:
adb shell am start -n com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.ChromeTabbedActivity -d "" --activity-clear-task
(Tested on Sept 21, 2015) It seems that Chrome has changed the name of the activity responsible for tabs. The new command is:
adb shell am start -n com.android.chrome/org.chromium.chrome.browser.ChromeTabbedActivity -d "about:newtab" --activity-clear-task
See step 3. in this answer to know the details of the command, if you're interested.
Replace 127.0.0.1, google.com.
Some of the advanced power control widgets or 2G/3G switching widgets allow the following options for the radio mode:
What are the benefits of 2G+3G over running 3G only? Are there any drawbacks?
Answer
If you choose 3G only, you have no connectivity if you are in an area where no 3G is available. With 2G+3G, the phone will fallback to 2G if it can't get a 3G connection.
I just acquired a newish Kindle Fire, software version 10.2.6. Normally when I plug a Kindle or any USB device into my laptop (running Ubuntu 12.04) I get a popup screen asking me what I'd like to do and the device mounts. It has worked this way with 2 previous Kindles but they were software version 6.x.x.
So my question is, how do I mount this device so that I can move my books and files onto it from my computer?
I have ADB enabled and allow installation of applications from unknown sources. I don't have ADB installed on my computer because until now it wasn't necessary to move files back and forth in a Linux computer.
On the notification screen the Kindle says "connected as media device." I should also note that despite using Ubuntu I'm relatively unskilled when it comes to the terminal.
Answer
Summing up from the comments above...
As eldarerathis wrote: "connected as a media device" suggests it's using MTP, which would require special software to be installed (there are MTP packages available for different Linux flavours).
You might also want to check your "notification area" when the device is connected: I don't know the Kindle Fire, but it might offer to switch to UMS (USB mass storage) mode. If you don't find anything corresponding in the notifications, also take a look through the settings. Just a possibility, nothing granted.
If you cannot get UMS working, there's a helpful link pointed out by eldarerathis is Connecting Google Nexus 7 to Linux on how to make mtpfs working on Linux. Basically, this can be done by issuing 4 commands in a terminal:
sudo apt-get install mtpfs
mkdir ~/NexusDrive
mtpfs ~/NexusDrive
nautilus ~/NexusDrive
Short explanation on what it does:
mtpfs package, which provides the MTP file systemOf course, the last step can be replaced by opening any file explorer you like :) And as the "missing sudo" on lines 2-4 indicates, mtpfs is running in userspace.
There's also a graphical MTP frontent available in the Ubuntu repositories: gMTP. It's mainly intended to be a MP3 player, but you also can manage your files with it:
sudo apt-get install gmtp
(it's in the universe branch, so you might have to enable universe first in your package manager)
(screenshots taken from LinuxAndLife)
So you could use this instead of Nautilus -- or next to Nautilus, depending on what you want to do. With gMTP installed, simply connect your Kindle via its USB cable, then launch gMTP. Click the Connect button then will mount the device, and the Connect button gets re-labeled to "Disconnect", as shown in above screenshots.
I use BitTorrent Sync to transfer audio files to my Nexus 5. All files are transfered to the 'music' directory. When new files are added to this directory, the only way to update Play Music's library is rebooting android. There is an update button in Play Music ("Vernieuwen" in dutch) but this does not add the new files. To be honest I expected Play Music to automatically add the new files.
What can be the cause of this problem? And is there a way to solve it?
Possibly related questions:
I have a HTC Desire HD running stock 2.2
When using the HTC supplied headphones, the play/pause/nav controls only work with Meridian. I don't remember explicitly setting it up as such, although I may have missed it. I'd like to be able to use them with BeyondPod instead, as I'm about 10x more likely to be listening to a podcast than music.
Is there a way to change the default app for these buttons?
Answer
A bit more playing around led me to a (if not THE) solution. I found an "enable headset buttons" check box in Meridian, which prompted me to dig further into BeyondPod, where a found a similar setting.
Everything works as I'd like now.
I've since gone back and checked a couple of things though, which are not quite as I expected. I thought if you re-enabled the controls within one app, it might disable the other. This isn't quite what happened. When I re-enabled Meridian, it responded to the controls, although BeyondPod still showed it as supposedly responding, which it didn't. Once I'd disabled Meridian again, I had to go back into BeyondPod, disable and re-enable it's control in order to have it respond again.
My main gripe was that if I were listening a podcast, and bumped the headphone controls, the music would start playing over the top of my podcast audio. While it may be a cute multi-tasking demo, it's not a particularly practical use of this feature, IMH(BC)O.
Possible Duplicate:
Is my phone liable to explode if I charge it with a charger that came with a different phone?
What's the safe limit on charger output for a Galaxy Nexus
I have a phone with 0.7 amp charger. I also have a Galaxy Nexus with a 2 amp charger. If I connect the 2 amp charger into my phone, will my phone blow up?
Answer
Electric current is measured in Amperes, shortened to Amps or simply the letter A.
One well spread example is to think of electricity in terms of water, pressure being equivalent to voltage, and flow rate equivalent to amps. As long as you have the correct pressure, the flow rate isn't a problem, provided the necessary minimum is present.
Typically electronics will only draw the current they need, so extra amps is OK.
The important thing is having the correct voltage with sufficient amperage available. Extra amperage will be ignored by your device.
I know that the alarm isn't working when the phone is turned off, but my question is: Why doesn't this work? What were the developers/engineers thinking?
I always used my mobile phones as alarm clocks and even very old mobile phone support alarm clocks when they are turned off.
Answer
There is no power to the phone when it's off. It's actually off. Some phones have a minimalistic charging mode that just shows a battery animation, but I have yet to see an Android device that boots into a clock-only type mode.
The Android OS is designed to use minimal power when not in use. If you have a problem with the battery dying overnight, it's probably due to a third-party app.
I have some apps that I want to record the output sounds locally before outputting to speaker, Bluetooth or any other output. So I get clean unadulterated audio, before any audio output mods.
My devices are rooted, some have custom ROMs.
Is there a way to do this internally, without any programming/coding knowledge? Can this be accomplished? Preferably with out hooking to PC as that prevents local saving.
include steps.
include references
Please excuse lack of tags, limited on choices.
Answer
(At the time of writing,) I've tried researching for 3rd-party apps that can record internal audio only, but surprisingly, I didn't find any. The only app that I found which can do this is SCR Screen Recorder, which just like its name, is actually a screen(+audio) recorder. So, while this app might be an overkill, it's worth to try.
Note: you need root access for internal audio recording. Also, the internal audio recording was said to be an experimental feature, which might not work on all devices.
Addendum by anonymous user:
With root: When the settings have been configured to internal audio and notification icon is popped up, tap the home button (don't close SCR) and open any sound recorder. You'll see that it records the sound internally instead of with mic. (I've tried with 3rd-party HI-Q MP3 recorder, unsure about others..)
I am going for a trip for 3 weeks and I want to record all the places I visited using my Android mobile.
I most likely I won't have data connectivity - only GPS. If I don't find anything else I will use Endomondo, but I'm open to other solutions, including third-party apps (preferably free).
I am using an HTC One XL running CyanogenMod 10.
Answer
The best option is Google's My Tracks
Follow the link and see the features yourself. Everyhing you want is there. And the best part is it's free!!
Hope this helps
It was recently brought to my attention that it does not. Can someone confirm this and explain what the determining characteristics are that dictate whether or not root its required to flash a custom ROM?
Answer
Methods I know of:
Use a carrier/manufacturer tool such as Odin for some Samsung phones (I've done this -- it's easily the most feasible method). It connects to the phone and writes to the phone storage when the phone is in Download mode. A knowledgeable person could probably write their own tool as well.
Sign the update.zip file, so that the recovery/bootloader thinks its an official update. That's really the only way most phones can distinguish them (not sure if an encrypted bootloader makes it harder).
"Has anyone actually done this?" That I don't know -- it's probably incredibly difficult to fake, but realistically someone could gain access to the signing software.
Use a jig (an electronic setup that connects directly to parts of the device) to write directly to the storage. Imagine the phone as a PC where the BIOS prevents writing to the hard drive -- if you don't boot up the computer, the BIOS can't interfere, so you could just take out the drive and write to it with something else. Chips are just not as removable as drives, hence the jig. This would probably require custom software to do the writing, again possibly taken from the manufacturer. And if you don't overwrite the bootloader you might run into problems depending on what checks it does, I'm not sure.
At a previous job (a phone manufacturer) they used a similar tool to Odin to replace the bootloader, sometimes with one that didn't require the ROMs to be signed. Access to a tool like that makes a lot of problems go away.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 (SCH-I535) running Android 4.4.2 and I'm having an extremely annoying issue: Whenever I make or receive a call, if I adjust the in-call volume to the desired level (usually somewhere between 80% - 100% if I am in a noisy place) then during the call, the call volume will suddenly drop to roughly 25% - 35%
This happens repeatedly during a call. I am not using a headset of any kind: I am simply holding the phone up to my ear. I am positive that I am not pressing any buttons on the side of the phone, and I press the lock button to turn the screen off before holding the phone up to my face, so I'm sure I'm not triggering any on-screen functions with my cheek/ear.
This makes it doubly annoying because the volume buttons don't appear to work reliably when the phone is in this state. So after a few minutes at the desired volume, suddenly I can't hear he other party and I need to ask them to please wait, bring the phone away from my face, unlock the screen, adjust the volume back to maximum using the volume buttons (ever time I see the volume slider has dropped from where I last had it set) lock the screen again and then resume my call.
This will happen repeatedly, every few minutes while on a call.
I have the stock Verizon/Samsumg OS, phone is not rooted, and I can't find any setting which might be causing this. I don't have any custom volume adjustment apps installed. Looking for any assistance! Why does the in-call volume drop on it's own on my Samsung Galaxy S3?
Answer
The problem was caused by an app that I installed for allowing the company I work for to page me. This proprietary app had a bug that caused it to drop the in-call volume during a call; Updating the app fixed the problem.
