wi fi - Restoring wpa_supplicant.conf [root]

I have a rooted Nexus 5 (Lollipop 5.1) which just decided to restart itself and clear out my saved WiFi passwords!

Luckily I make regular manual backups of the wpa_supplicant.conf file from /data/misc/wifi to /sdcard.

However I am trying to restore this file so that the networks appear again under Wifi > Saved Networks but I am having no luck!

I have tried to copy the file from /sdcard to /data/misc/wifi and /system/etc/wifi (even though I'm pretty sure it's the one in /data that Android uses) using ES File Explorer. The networks do not show up and after restarting the phone, the file in /data resets itself and the one in /system is remains.

I have also tried copying the file using Terminal Emulator and also running chown on the file in /data but this also hasn't worked.

Any ideas as to why Android doesn't accept the restored file?

rooting - Root Android virtual device with Android 7.1.1

I'm using the official Android SDK with the Android Emulator to create a virtual Android 7.1.1 (x86). I need to test a number of things, amongst others, some applications require root access to the device.

Now I know that I can adb root and I have a root shell, but that doesn't allow the apps I install to have root access.

I've researched this topic now for a while and have seen various approaches. Most answer haven been posted rather long ago.

I think it's quite odd that there's no option to toggle root - this is after all an SDK.

How do I root an Android virtual device, running Android 7.1.1, effectively allowing installed apps root access?

edit: I'd rather not resort to paid emulators like Genymotion if possible.

edit2: This is solely for personal use.

edit3: Genymotion appears to be a viable solution, as an alternative emulator. How come Android SDK/Emulator does not offers such a feature?

edit4: The answer by xavier_fakerat seems to work perfectly fine, however since Android Studio version 3.1 this doesn't seem to be a permanent rooting. Once the AVD is rebooted, root access is gone.

Answer

How to root android emulator (Android 7.1.1/ Nougat)

I’m pleased to inform the community of an easier way to root android emulator (run from standalone Android SDK)

Requirements:

Note: SuperSU is now deprecated, but this method still works to root the emulator, and more updates will be given for newer rooting methods.

Instructions

1. 
   

   Install the SuperSu.apk

   
   
   
   
   • 
     

     Install the SuperSu app firstly, just do drag and drop (if running latest emulator version or sideload through adb i.e adb –e install supersu.apk)

     
     
   
   
   • 
     
     

     After installing it, when you run it shows a screen as shown below indicating “There is no SU binary installed..”. This error just confirms the device is not yet rooted.

     
     
   
   
   
   

2. 
   

   Make emulator’ system partition writable

   
   
   
   
   
   • 
     

     As it suggests, we need to give the emulator permission to write system files.

     
     
   
   
   • 
     

     Type the following code to accomplish this: emulator.exe –avd {emulator_name} –writable-system

     
     
   
   
   
   

Note: Navigate to the tools folder where Android SDK is installed and open command prompt there by pressing shift and right clicking.

3. 
   

   Pushing su binary in system directory

   
   
   
   
   • Extract the Recovery flashable.zip (containing the su binaries of different architectures)
   
   
   
   

Important! Only use the su binary that matches your avd architecture e.g x86, arm etc.., and note the path where you extracted these binaries.

• Make sure you are running adb as root and also you need to remount. Just enter these codes

adb root

adb remount

Now its time to push the su binary:

This is the code I successfully used: adb -e push C:\%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\rootemu\x86\su.pie /system/bin/su

(nevermind about my specific location of su binary, any location is okay as long there is no white space)

If this fails try this pushing to this directory instead /system/xbin/su. Also for emulators running android 5.1 and below use the su and not su.pie

4. 
   
   

   Change permissions of the su binary

   
   
   
   
   • Next let’s do a bit of modification of the permissions of su binary. We have to do this in emulator device through adb:
   
   
   
   

   adb –e shell su root cd /system/bin chmod 06755 su

   
   

Important!! Take note of su binary path (mine is /system/bin)

5. Setting the install directive on su binary and set a daemon

Type the codes:

su --install

and for setting up daemon:

su --daemon&

Important!! Take note of spacing

6. 
   

   Setting SELinux to Permissive(i.e turning off SE Linux)

   
   
   
   
   
   • Finally turn off selinux through this code:
   
   
   
   

setenforce 0

That’s pretty much it!! Open SuperSU app and it may ask to update binaries, you can use Normal method.

Open any app requiring SU permissions just to double check and indeed SuperSU ask if you wish to grant it su permissions.

Remarks

Most content in reference was for older android versions and hence the reason for different commands and paths which I modified.

Special acknowledgements;

Special gratitude to Irvin H, whose tutorial inspired me to create this guide after myself having failed countless times, and also after seeing the need for many users to root their emulators too. I hope this will also benefit a lot

Irvin H: Rooting the android emulator –on Android Studio 2.3((Android 4.4)

As commented by SaAtomic,

This approach is still viable with Android Studio 3.0.1

After upgrading to emulator version 27.2.9 and above it now makes preserving root much easier through snapshot feature (if copying the system.img method isn't working):

Ideally it is more like hibernating the virtual device with config intact, hence everything is preserved.

Snapshots

You can now save multiple AVD snapshots for a given device configuration and choose which of the saved snapshots to load when you start the emulator. Starting a virtual device by loading a snapshot is much like waking a physical from a sleep state, as opposed to booting it from a powered-off state.

This implies the only requirement to start the emulator is adding the -writable-system parameter to the normal emulator -avd [avdname] command to start the emulator. (Running the emulator just with emulator -avd [avdname] doesn't launch the rooted version/copy or may lead to some error)

Tested on API level 22

applications - Find what app is causing popups, NOT in notification bar

I am getting these popups regularly. They do not appear in the notification center so I can't find out what app is causing them. The only app I can think of that I have installed recently, I have already deleted and they still appear. I am using the Nexus 4 Android 4.2.2. None of the ad detector apps have found anything.

How can I determine what is causing this?

Here is a screenshot of an ad, and a screenshot of my task manager immediately after. I am not sure if the app would have to be running to show the ad:

geolocation - How does Android get the coarse location?

I read that android (and simmilar operation sytems e.g. iOS) get the current coarse location by using either WiFi or GSM tower triangulation. I get the basic idea but have questions about the details.

1. Does Android normally use both methods or does it prefer one and fall back to the other?


2. Does it comunicate with a server to get the position via WiFi? (e.g. sending the SIDs of the WiFis to a webservice)


3. Does it communicate with the Carrier to get the position via the GSM towers or is this done on the device?

Answer

It is really up to the developer as to how to implement the location service. The full description is available here:

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/location/obtaining-user-location.html

The graph about 1/3rd down the page is pretty useful to see what a typical app might do, but again, it is completely up to the app developer. The location service types are:

• Cached Fix



• Cell-ID


• WiFi


• GPS


• Mock Location

If the app requests permission for coarse location only, it will not use the GPS to determine location.

To answer your questions...

1. It is up to the individual app developer, but in most cases the sequence will be Cached Fix, Cell-ID, Wifi, GPS, in that order.


2. Yes, after acquiring the tower IDs or SSIDs of the WiFi signals, that data is transmitted to Google to determine a rough location.



3. No, Google has done something really clever here. Google has their own database of cell tower locations, and does not require an interaction with the carrier to determine the location of the tower.

This article has some of the detail http://franciscokattan.com/2010/02/06/dynamic-cell-id-clever-way-to-block-google-but-will-it-backfire/

The short version is that, when you use an app like Google Maps, the app will send the current Cell-ID information back along with your current GPS fix. In this way, Google gets a very good sampling of the signal strengths in various locations, and is able to build a very rich database.

Google Earth showing only a black screen on Samsung GT-S7582L, how to solve?

When I install Google Earth from Google Play, initially it works, you can see the 3D Earth centered in the screen. Then the first time tips appears, teaching you how to use the fingers to zoom, change angle, etc.

When you close the last tip, no more 3D Earth, only a black screen. The interface seems to work, you can see the pictures of places at the bottom of the screen, and you can go to in app settings.

Maybe my device isn't enough for Earth.

Answer

The solution is to downgrade to version 7.x of Google Earth.

To downgrade, for example, download apk from here: http://google-earth.en.uptodown.com/android/download/52238

You will have to enable installation from unknown sources: http://gs4.wonderhowto.com/forum/enable-unknown-sources-android-install-apps-outside-play-store-0150603/

Then disable auto updates for Google Earth: http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/08/21/psa-as-of-play-store-v4-3-10-you-can-finally-disable-automatic-updates-for-certain-apps-and-update-all-will-honor-these-settings/

Periodically try to go back to newest version and check if the BUG, if it is a BUG at all, resolved.

How to set the default dialer?

Where are the configurations to set the default dialer? I installed a new one and want to know where I set the default.

Answer

Go to your Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications.

Select the 'All' tab and scroll to the current dialer app.

Scroll down and press the 'Clear defaults' button. Now when you select dial, you should be prompted to select a particular app and also have the opportunity to set a new default.

root access - Why Changing Permissions For Some Systems Files is Not Allowed?

I have a rooted tablet and while browsing my files, i came along this folder: (./0/android/data) in the internal storage ... lets say (X-plore file browser) has the folder: (./0/android/data/x-plore).

For some reason, i wanted to change the permissions for that program, instead of giving it the permissions: (reading, writing, executing) ... it will be (reading & executing).

The problem is it says (process failed, some file systems do not allow changing permissions) using Root browser or ES File Explorer (both with root access).

1- Why it says i can not change permissions although i have the root access already ?

2- Why it refers to a folder of an external application [(./0/android/data/x-plore)] as a system file ?

Answer

On more recent phones, internal storage is mounted on a FUSE mount point. Here's the corresponding line from mount executed on my Nexus 6P:

/dev/fuse on /storage/emulated type fuse (rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,user_id=1023,group_id=1023,default_permissions,allow_other)

FUSE only acts as an interface that translates the underneath actual filesystem. In Android's case, it's usually VFAT, exFAT or something similar, to guarantee readability under a variety of host OS. FAT and NTFS filesystems don't support granular file permissions under Linux-based OS - everything is pre-determined by how the drive was mounted, resulting in the default permission you see. This leads to Root Explorer throwing the error in the screenshot.

Note: I'm not exactly good at Linux, and have also learned quite a bit myself as I searched for materials that could answer this question, so feel free to edit and improve this answer with more professional ideas.

wi fi - How to transfer files over WiFi without a hotspot?

I'm looking for a way to transfer files between an Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S2, rooted) and any computer system I may need to interact with (this means preinstalled software on the computer, besides a regular web browser, is not an option) without connecting to an actual WiFi hotspot.

Essentially I'm looking for something that works the same was as WiFi direct (allows two phones to transfer files over WiFi) but that would be compatible with any computer with WiFi.

So far I have tried creating an ad-hoc connection from the phone (as I can't take the computer being ad-hoc-creating-able for granted) using Android WiFi Tether and connecting the computer to the device, testing the different modes it offers (WEXT, Netd & Softap). I have tried to connect to and from the computer over LAN, FTP and SMB without any success.

I feel like I'm missing some small step over here. I've looked through multiple other posts, but I couldn't find any that would show a way to do this without actually connecting to an already available wifi network.

applications - How to check what apps are running in Android 6.0?

I used to be able to view what apps are running in the background under settings/apps for 5.1, but in 6.0 you can only see what apps are installed in the same location. Does anyone know where to view running apps?

Answer

This is now in the Developer options area of your device settings, under the "Running Services" menu item:

Note that if you cannot see the Developer options at the bottom of your settings, it is because they are hidden by default and need to be manually enabled.

2.2 froyo - I want to password lock my "Applications" settings, but no other settings

I have an AppLock program that locks certain apps with a PIN. In order for the app to have any effectiveness, I include Settings as an App to lock. Otherwise, I could go to Settings -> Applications and simply kill the task. The disadvantage to this is that if I lock Settings I cannot do simple tasks like Calling Settings and Display. I would like the ability to fine tune exactly what settings I lock. Is this possible?

I'm running Froyo on a Samsung Captivate.

Answer

I believe the basic answer is no. Obviously it can't be done with AppLock since all the settings are accessed through the same app, but further than that you would have to somehow determine what the Settings app was doing and prevent it. This would be very difficult, and impossible without root.

I think the Settings app must be open-source, however, given that manufacturers can customize it. You could possibly modify it to lock out the application settings unless you enter a password, or something. That's beyond the scope of this site, however.

Another alternative is widgets that alter the settings directly. I'm sure you can get a widget that would allow you to edit the brightness and that sort of thing without going through the Settings app. I'm not exactly sure how widgets like this work, however; it's possible they might call into the Settings app, which would prevent this.

In that last case, it might also be possible to set up something like AppLocker that allows Settings to run if it is triggered by a "privileged" application. You could make the brightness widget privileged, so that the Settings app can make the brightness change when requested to, but everything else would still be protected. I assume AppLocker can't do this, but it might not be hard to develop (again, out of the scope of this site).

I know this is kind of vague, but hopefully it provides some sort of help.

wi fi - Battery drain when wifi is off

I turned off my wifi connection and noticed a heavy impact on my battery life. In a few hours without any usage, it dropped more than the whole day before.

See the drop at end while wifi (WLAN) was disabled:

There are many issues where battery life is reduced when wifi is turned on but not when turned off. What could cause this and how can I fix this? Could it be using some mobile data connection that drains the battery more than wifi or is it a device problem?

While wifi was on, it was actually connected to a network. There is no increase in mobile data usage. No suspicious increase for battery consumption for any particular app. Top consuming apps are:

• idle 40%


• display 19%


• mobile standby 18%


• android os 13%


• wifi 6%


• google services %4


• android system 2%

Update: It looks like it's constantly switching between E, 3G, H and H+ every few minutes, even without moving the phone. In 2G mode the connection seems to be stable and the battery loss is gone.

Answer

Activating the 2G only option solved the issue, indicating a problem with the connection, as mentioned in the comments.

Another thing that solved it (temporarily, until I install more apps I guess) was reinstalling the OS. I only installed few apps and the minimal PA Gapps package (contains only some indispensable apps by Google), which presumably reduced the amount of background data send. Overall battery consumption with 3G enabled is way lower than with only 2G before.

I've also updated the radio firmware, though I can't confirm if it had any effect. It still seems to switch a lot between E, 3G, H and H+ but without any actual data traffic there is no noticeable impact on battery life.

Another suggestion I've found online somewhere is to use an app that switches to 3G only when particular apps like the browser is used and switches back to 2G otherwise.

2.2 froyo - Android and Google contacts not syncing

For some reason I have 10 contacts in my Google Contacts account, but I have 50 contacts on my Android phone. I have signed into my Google Account from my Android phone and I have enabled

settings > accounts & sync > background data
settings > accounts & sync > auto-sync
settings > accounts & sync > oshirowanen@gmail.com > sync contacts

Why are my contacts not syncing?

I have tried switching my phone off and on, and I have also tried deselecting and then selecting

settings > accounts & sync > oshirowanen@gmail.com > sync contacts

to force a sync, but nothing has worked so far.

Answer

All contacts that have a group will sync. Those contacts that don't have a group (ie "Other Contacts") will not.

Go to Gmail on a PC and choose contacts (I haven't tested from a phone). There is a default group called "My Contacts" and there is a default group called "Other contacts" I would guess you don't have any or very few in "My Contacts".

Open a contact and make sure they are assigned a group. Either "My Contacts" or a custom group underneath that.

This way you can still have contacts in Gmail without having them in your phone. BTW anytime you get an email and the contact is new, it is put in "Other Contacts".

unrooting - Is unroot still possible in this case?

I have an LG Optimus One ( LGP500 ) running 2.2 and I rooted it using the z4root tool, version 1.0. From what I saw, back then it didn't have an unroot option. In the meantime, I did an update using the LG Mobile Tool, and I think it updated my system to 2.2.2 .

I noticed that the newer versions of z4root have an unroot option, so I upgraded my z4root from 1.0 to 1.3, to try to unroot the phone ... but I only see the Temporary root and Permanent root options. I tried pressing the Permanent root and it seemed to do something, after which it returned me to my Home. From this, I'm drawing the conclusion that rerooting did not work. I am assuming z4root needs to root, so that the unroot option is available.

Is there anyway I could unroot my phone now?

Answer

As you have come to realize, official updates (OTA or manual) will most likely patch previous exploits to obtain root and you will most likely lose root during the process of updating. It is recommend to NOT allow updates if you wish to keep root. Certain mods, such as CyanogenMod, will automatically block OTA updates to keep this from being a problem.

motorola droid x - Spam alerts in notification bar

This question already has answers here:

Closed 7 years ago.

Possible Duplicate:
Is this red star icon malware? How to get rid of it?

I get spam alerts about free ipads and typical junk like that on my notification bar when I start my droid. This also happens when I first connect to WIFI on my home router (secured). I use a DROID X.

Answer

Get this Air Push Detector app to find out what is creating those notifications.

Then uninstall the app(s) that are creating them.

security - Smart Lock, and multi-factor authentication?

I am using Marshmallow, and I use the built-in encryption mechanism. Typing my password every time the screen locks is a pain. I would like to leverage Smart Lock to have the following ideal situation:

• If my phone is far away from me, I'd like the phone to immediately lock; thus requiring a password to decrypt. (This way, if my phone is lost, or even stolen, then my data will be safe.)


• If my phone is nearby me, I'd like it to simply "soft lock" my screen; i.e., require either a PIN or facial recognition to unlock the screen, but not my full password. (This way, if I leave my my phone at my desk at work, for example, someone sneaky can't snatch it and snoop at my text messages or who knows what.)

Before I go on a wild goose chase, can someone please tell me if this setup is possible with Android?

2.3 gingerbread - Is it possible to use the camera without unlocking first?

Is it possible with Android phones (like with iOS 5) to take photos directly from the lock screen without unlocking first?

Answer

You could use WidgetLocker and have a shortcut on your lockscreen to your camera. I haven't personally tried this, but it should technically work.

battery - Why is Google Maps always running in the background?

I'm running on JB. The Google Maps application always seems to have 2 instances running in the background inspite of turning the GPS off. Is there a clean solution to prevent it from ever running in the background?

Answer

One part of Google Maps is a so called "Location Service", which kicks in on a couple of intents (e.g. always when your network connectivity changes -- which happens when you login to a new WiFi network, or to a new cell tower). It caches your current location to the "location cache", which should serve to faster provide your current location when needed (and to update Google's location database, as the cache's contents are submitted in intervals).

Without being rooted, there's not much you can do about. But if your device is rooted, you have several options:

1. Use an app like Autorun Manager PRO (yes, here you need the "Pro") to disable the listeners which cause it to kick-in¹


2. Use Titanium Backup ★ root to freeze the app when you don't need it, and un-freeze it on demand²

Which method to prefer? I personally would go for the second. Titanium backup lets you create a widget on your desktop to toggle the "frozen state" of an app, so you can easily switch it on/off. Disabling some listeners might work well -- but the app also might start behaving strangely.

4.0 ice cream sandwich - Upgrade Samsung Galaxy II to Android 4.0?

Is it possible to upgrade Samsung Galaxy SII's Android 2.3 to Android 4.0? If yes, how do I do it?

applications - How do I save purchased apps as APKs?

I am unable to save APK's that I have purchased (actually paid for) through the Play store. Usually SaveAPK is able to save the APKs that I'm interested it, however this didn't work: it sais Copy failed. I also tried Astro File Manager, but every app that I purchased had a lock symbol on it, and it didn't allow me to back it up.

Next, I tried looking in /data/app, and I couldn't find the APK either. Any ideas where they could be? Maybe it's some sort of copy protection in 4.x+ which I haven't heard of previously.

I am running Cyanogenmod 10.1-20130714-NIGHTLY-i9300

Answer

.apk files are usually installed in /data/app, as you already pointed to. I find my "bought apps" in this place as well; so it might be you've looked for the wrong name: the files usually have the "syntax" -.apk, where is the app's package name as it appears in the URL when looking it app in Google Play via the web browser, and is a digit. I bought e.g. ROM Toolbox, and can find it here as com.jrummy.liberty.toolboxpro-1.apk.

There are several options to get hold of an app's .apk file:

Are Google photo high quality pictures compressed even if they're under 16 megapixels?

Recently, Google has changed the Google Photos app so that everyone has free and unlimited access to store 16 megapixel files.

The camera on my phone is under 16 megapixel. When I downloaded the app, it asked me whether I wanted to keep the photos in original or high quality.

I would like to take advantage of the free storage so my question is if the photos are originally less than 16 megapixel, is high quality going to be the same as original or would google compress it more?

Also, what happens to the existing photos on my Google Drive that are less than 16 megapixels? Are they automatically not counted toward my quota or do I need to somehow migrate them to Google Photos? Just that, the majority of the files on my Drive are photos (which are less than 16 megapixels) and since I've downloaded Photos, the space available has not changed.

samsung galaxy s 3 - Disabled app notifications getting automatically re-enabled

I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 running Android 4.3.

There's an app I use frequently, but don't want notifications from. Under "App info" I unchecked "Show notifications", and initially this does dismiss the app's notifications. After a few days, I get a notification from the app. Returning to the "App info" page I find that "Show notifications" has become checked again.

It's happened about 5 times in the last month, using the app a couple times per day. Automatic updates are disabled, and I have not updated the app recently. I've checked and verified that notifications do not get re-enabled every time I launch the app, or after a reboot, but otherwise I'm not sure what specific condition precipitates it. The app crashes occasionally on startup, but I don't know if this correlates to notifications getting turned out, especially as the app only sends occasional notifications, imploring me to use it more.

Is there a way to prevent notifications for this app from getting re-enabled?

EDIT: It seems to be getting re-enabled every time I reboot. Will test further to see if I can reproduce it with other apps.

rooting - One click (or easy) way to Root Motorola Droid X with Morotola update 4.5.621

I read that the new DROID X build 4.5.621 prevents the most common Rooting methods. There is a more complicated method but I'm hoping there is a one-click method (less chance of me screwing up and bricking my Droid)

I have Android v 2.3.4.

google play store - How do I root Cruz Tablet?

I am relatively new to the Android scene, and have recently bought my first official android-powered device. The cruz tablet was just $199 at Best Buy so I figured I culd give it a try. Unfortunately, it's very limited. I can live with the hardware shortcomings (no camera, no Bluetooth), but I want access to the full Android Market.

I believe a rooting is in order. Can someone please point me in the direction of rooting instructions for this device? Is rooting the same for each Android device? I haven't found much info on the net about this particular tablet. Anything I can learn from here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! Thomas

installation - "Insufficient storage" when trying to install new app

Every time I go to install a new app, I get the message "Insufficient storage", and an unable to install anything!

I am using Samsung GT19060 my internal memory is 8GB. I have not downloaded anything but anytime I try to download something it will tell me low memory space.

Answer

In short: 25 MB free internal storage is minimum requirement (source: TechniPages, AndroidCentral). If free space falls below that, the "insufficient storage" error is triggered.

For details, see:

And many more -- this is a quite "frequent question". For more results, simply follow the internal-storage tag.

audio - How can I increase the number of volume levels?

Is it possible to increase the number of steps in the volume control? I'd like a finer grained control over the volume level. I have a Galaxy Nexus.

Note: I don't want to boost the volume just change the number of levels so I can find a sweet spot when listening to music.

Answer

Many people have this problem with Android. You can see it has been reported in Android's bug tracking system. The number of levels is controlled by a setting that's compiled into the Android system image.

Use a different ROM

It's possible that flashing a custom-rom could increase the number of levels, but I don't know which, if any, custom ROMs do this. This bug report in cyanogenmod's tracker suggests they don't plan to add that feature, for fear it may cause compatibility problems with some apps.

Use a different app (easy)

Some media apps have their own volume control, on top of that provided by Android. I believe Poweramp is one such (but I don't use it myself). If there's one particular app you need more control of, such as a music app, you might want to replace it with one that has this feature.

Edit your phone's OS (advanced)

If you're not worried about the risk of breaking some (badly-written) apps, and your device is rooted, then you can follow these instructions to edit the Android system image to increase the number of levels. That site gives step-by-step instructions, including installing the developer tools you'll need to make system changes; a summary for knowledgeable people is as follows:

1. Get framework.jar from your device and run baksmali on it.


2. Edit framework\android\media\AudioService.smali


3. Search for 0xft 0x0t 0x0t 0x0t to find the table of audio levels.



4. Replace the first number of each row with the desired number of levels (in hexadecimal).


5. Run smali to generate a new framework.jar, and then replace the original on the device.

Getting double message notifications after replacing Talk with Hangouts

I've updated Google Talk to "Hangouts (replaces Talk)". Now whenever I get a message, I receive two notifications: one from the new Hangouts app and the other from the old Talk app. How do I disable the notification from Talk?

Device is Samsung Galaxy S II running Android 4.1.2.

Answer

As Izzy pointed out in the comments, the package name of Hangouts is the same as the one for Google Talk: com.google.android.talk. Therefore, even if Talk was built in to your ROM, it should be 'overlaid' by Hangouts.

However, it's possible that there's some Google Talk service that didn't get killed by the upgrade process. If that's the case, a simple reboot should solve the problem.

Where does twrp keep the internal storage backed up?

I have chosen to backup everything and all extra partitions on my twrp backup. When browsing the twrp backup folder, I renamed the .win extentions to .tar and unziped them using linux but I cannot find where twrp keep the internal storage contents. eg. emulated/0/

Answer

TWRP does not backup internal storage, like your photos, videos, music, ebooks, etc. (things in /data/media), that is why you can't find it.

As noted in the TWRP's FAQ from their official website:

Creating a backup of the user data partition will NOT include /data/media (your internal storage)! That means if you save photos or data on the internal storage (e.g. some apps will save data there as well) those will be NOT included in a TWRP backup! There are many people thinking that this is the case but due to a decision taken by the dev team this is the current way of how it works.

To be absolutely clear when you do something like this:

1. Creating a full backup in TWRP (including /data partition)


2. Factory resetting your phone


3. Restoring your previously taken full backup


4. Result: all your saved data will be there but your data on the internal storage gets LOST!

automation - Block all calls from area code unless in Contacts

I need a way to block all calls from an area code, unless the number is in my contact list. Anyone know of a way to do that?

I found plenty of apps that can block by area code, but they'll also block any of my contacts if they have that area code. I could add each of my contacts to a whitelist, but then I have to remember to do that each time I add a contact.

Answer

automation is the preferred option. Many apps are available. I prefer using MacroDroid , since it is free (upto 5 macros) and easy to learn.

---

You would need two macros for this

First macro would be to set a flag when the call is from an area code

Macro : Area code (name of macro as example)

Trigger:

1. 
   

   Call incoming → Select number → abc* ( where abc is numeric area code you are interested in and * is wildcard to represent any number . You need to know / experiment here - in my case I needed to type +<2digit country code><2 digit state code>< * wild card > to test with land line telephone

   
   


2. 
   

   You would need another similar trigger for identifying mobile numbers from that area if / as applicable

   
   

Action: Set Macrodroid Variable → New variable → from area code ( name of flag, it can be anything ) of type Boolean to true

Constraints: Leave blank

In the next macro we reject the call when the twin conditions of calling number is a non contact and from that area code are met

Macro : Reject call (name of macro as example)

Trigger: Call incoming → Select Contact → Non contact

Action:

1. 
   

   Call reject

   
   
   

   add constraint to this action by long pressing action

   
   

Macrodroid Variable →from area code = True (Macro only runs in this case, satisfying twin criteria conditions)

2. Set Macrodroid Variable → from area code to false ( initialisation of flag )

Constraints: leave blank

I have only tested with landline available to me and it worked. Logic has been explained and you would need to configure with special attention to area codes of landline / mobile

A non-cloud local calendar for Android?

Is there any way to have and use a local calendar on Android?

I would like to use it on the Android phone and open the file (vcs, ics, anything) on my laptop sometimes.

I have not found any applications that deal with local calendar files stored on the SD-card of the phone. I have found only numerous cloud applications so far.

Is there any app that can open and edit local calendar files on Android?

Answer

Recently created LocalCalendar app is what we needed.

It works on Android 2.x too and is open source. (GitHub)

Will rooting my Samsung Galaxy S before I activate it cause any problems?

I have a samsung Galaxy S (Fascinate) that I haven't decided if I want to keep, so I haven't activated it on my Verizon account. I'd like to root it and flash a new ROM (possibly a separate Kernel) but I'm wondering if doing so when it is not connected to any carrier will cause any problems, particularly with the voice/data connection settings?

Answer

I doubt it. I've done the same with a GSM Galaxy S (the Vibrant) with no problems. Of course it probably depends on whether you have a really terrible ROM, but rooting alone shouldn't matter. And it might be different for CDMA. But worst case, you can just flash back to stock. My Vibrant picked up the network settings on it's first boot with a SIM, I would again assume your first boot-up after activation would cause the same thing. Plus, if the custom ROM is Captivate-based and not i9000-based, it might have the network settings already built in (and just need to pick up the phone number).

google maps - Prevent music volume from being lowered when using turn-by-turn navigation

I use a Nexus 6 on Lollipop. Sometimes I'll try to listen to music over Bluetooth while using Google Maps turn-by-turn navigation in my car. The volume on the music is reduced whenever Google Maps gives the next turn, which is irritating. I changed the settings in Google Maps to output using the device's speaker, but it still lowers the media volume over Bluetooth to give me turn information.

Is there any way -- ideally without needing root privileges -- to prevent this from happening?

Answer

I'm not sure at what point it was added, but it is now possible to mute turn-by-turn navigation. This is not exactly ideal (I'd prefer to have the directions come out of the phone speaker and not pause Bluetooth), but it will do the job. Google provides instructions here:

You can silence voice navigation by touching the mute button.

1. Open the Google Maps app maps.


2. Start navigation.


3. In the top right, touch Sound.


4. Touch Mute.

To turn voice navigation back on, touch Mute > Sound.

Tip: You can also silence voice navigation by touching the volume controls on your device.

updates - 3/4 circle with plus in it?

After I recently updated my phone about a day ago, this strange sign showed up on the top left that I have never seen before. Does anyone know what it means? Or how to get rid of it?

bash - How can I check if a computer exists on my network WITHOUT IP (i.e. by device name only)?

I would like my phone to execute certain shell scripts via Tasker if my phone is on the same wifi network as my laptop. My initial idea is to edit the /etc/hosts file, but this wouldn't work since neither device is constrained to be on only one wifi network.

A much more costly idea would be to just ping every possible address on the network from my phone, then attempt to send a command via ssh (say, echo $ANDROID) and listen for the response.

The best way to do this is to just be able to see if a device named "myLaptop" exists on the network.. (or, actually, I could use MAC address too.) but I have no idea if this is possible in bash. Is it?

(I'm also open to implementations in Perl, since I can use SL4A to implement Perl scripts.)

Answer

Dynamic DNS service would work. Get your laptop to update your dynamic domain with it's local ip, and then whenever your phone connects to a new wifi network, resolve that domain, if you get a hit, you're either good or happened to find someone with the same local ip!

Similar to that, you could get your laptop to post it's ip to a server somewhere (web, email, w/e) that you can retrieve from a script on your phone.

Short of setting up a DNS server, I'm not sure there is any means for resolving host names that aren't named in your local configs.

Cyanogenmod custom recovery can't backup, restore or apply an update!

I just installed Cyanogenmod. It's my understanding Cyanogenmod is a ROM so I was bit suprised when my TWRP custom recovery was replaced by Cyanogenmod's own recovery. Why is this?

Cyanogenmod's recovery can't do anything; it has no backup or restore options and each time I try to apply an update it says-

signature verification failed.

1. Is it possible to get back to CWM or TWRP or somehow get Cyanogenmod's recovery to work?

I can't flash a new custom recovery from the phone since Cyanogenmod's recovery fails at flashing, and I tried using fastboot from the computer and it appears to flash TWRP but then it just goes by to Cyanogenmod's recovery.

2. I once read that TWRP/CWM only work with stock kernel and Cyanogenmod has it's own kernel so they won't work. Is this true?

I don't think it's relevant to the question but my phone is Xperia Z2 D6503 and the CM is 12 (Lollipop)

Answer

From xda thread: CyanogenMod recovery is basic, so you have to flash another one. The easiest way is to use rashr app and it worked for me perfectly

samsung galaxy s 5 - Adjust SMS length limit?

I just bought my new Samsung Galaxy S5. When texting, when I exceed 160 characters it automatically converts to MMS. I have researched the remedy,gone to settings and clicked the MMS Alert to 'on' which alerts me when I have exceeded the maximum amount of characters, but it still converts to MMS. How can I revise the amount of maximum characters so I won't need to use my data? I certainly don't want to have to send multiple texts every time I text over the 160 limit.

usb - Make a device appear in ADB

I have a Zen Touch 2, a Cyclone Voyager and a Samsung galaxy Fame, all configured for USB debugging.

I also have a laptop running Ubuntu 12.04, the standard ADB obtained from apt-get, and Fastboot obtained from apt-get.

My problem is that when I plug in my Fame on it's own, I can see it in the list of attached devices when I run the adb devices command. However, when I attach the others, I cannot.

I have plugged them in on their own and tried all 4 different ports. Switching to PTP doesn't work. And it is not just the devices command.

How can I make them appear and allow me to use them?

Answer

Maybe you are missing udev rules for the other device manufacturers?

A rule for samsung is probably included by default.

Look here for instructions http://developer.android.com/tools/device.html

How can I create and edit Microsoft Office documents in Android

I'm looking for a way to create and/or edit Microsoft Office compatible documents (.doc/.docx, .xls/.xlsx, .ppt/.pptx...) on my Android device. Are there any free solution that will allow me to do this?

security - How can I restrict a user's ability to modify settings or install apps?

Our team is planning to buy around 10 Android phones for the team members. We don't want them to install any applications other than the ones provided. Is there a method or an application which would allow me to restrict the ability of a user to install apps?

As an analogy, on Windows the admin can configure the system so that other users cannot access Internet settings, task manager, or install new software. We'd basically like to do something similar to that.

One idea I had was to download the Android source code itself and then program it according to my needs and install it on the devices. However, I would prefer to avoid doing that, if possible.

Disable sound and vibration for Gmail Notifications

I want to switch off sound and vibration alerts for Gmail, but leave on the icon (in the notification bar). I still want it to vibrate on Google Hangouts and Facebook Messenger notification, etc.

I'm using Android 4.4.2

Answer

In Android notification settings can be configured on a per-app basis. Most apps give you control over sound and vibration settings. These can be overridden with the global "Ring mode" setting located under Menu -> System -> Sound.

Changing the Gmail notifications will not impact Hangouts, Facebook, or other apps. Furthermore, in Gmail app you can have different notification settings for each account (and even per each synced label within each account):

1. In Gmail, tap on the Menu button, go to Settings, and tap on your Google account.
   


2. Tap on "Inbox sound & vibrate" option.
   
   


3. Set the sound and vibration preferences to your liking, and exit the Settings page.
   

How can I get a list of all my paid (only) apps in the Play Store?

I'm interested to know all of my apps that I paid for in the Google Play Store. Is there an easy way to retrieve this list filtering only paid applications?

Answer

You could also use the My Paid Apps app. (More information)

adb - how to change input method with ime command

I want to know how to change input method using the command line. Any ideas? Sorry for my english.

I have tried this:

C:\Users\admin>adb shell
shell@android:/ $ ime list -a
ime list -a
com.huawei.inputmethod.hwpal/.PinyinIME:
  mId=com.huawei.inputmethod.hwpal/.PinyinIME mSettingsActivityName=com.huawei.i
nputmethod.hwpal.SettingsActivity
  mIsDefaultResId=0x7f080000
  Service:

    priority=0 preferredOrder=0 match=0x108000 specificIndex=-1 isDefault=false
    ServiceInfo:
      name=com.huawei.inputmethod.hwpal.PinyinIME
      packageName=com.huawei.inputmethod.hwpal
      labelRes=0x7f0c0000 nonLocalizedLabel=null icon=0x0
      enabled=true exported=true processName=com.huawei.inputmethod.hwpal
      permission=android.permission.BIND_INPUT_METHOD
      flags=0x0
org.apelikecoder.bulgariankeyboard/.BulgarianIME:
  mId=org.apelikecoder.bulgariankeyboard/.BulgarianIME mSettingsActivityName=org

.apelikecoder.bulgariankeyboard.BulgarianIMESettings
  mIsDefaultResId=0x0
  Service:
    priority=0 preferredOrder=0 match=0x108000 specificIndex=-1 isDefault=false
    ServiceInfo:
      name=org.apelikecoder.bulgariankeyboard.BulgarianIME
      packageName=org.apelikecoder.bulgariankeyboard
      enabled=true exported=true processName=org.apelikecoder.bulgariankeyboard
      permission=android.permission.BIND_INPUT_METHOD
      flags=0x0

com.thihaayekyaw.frozenkeyboard/com.example.android.softkeyboard.SoftKeyboard:
  mId=com.thihaayekyaw.frozenkeyboard/com.example.android.softkeyboard.SoftKeybo
ard mSettingsActivityName=com.example.android.softkeyboard.FKSettings
  mIsDefaultResId=0x0
  Service:
    priority=0 preferredOrder=0 match=0x108000 specificIndex=-1 isDefault=false
    ServiceInfo:
      name=com.example.android.softkeyboard.SoftKeyboard
      packageName=com.thihaayekyaw.frozenkeyboard
      enabled=true exported=true processName=com.thihaayekyaw.frozenkeyboard

      permission=android.permission.BIND_INPUT_METHOD
      flags=0x0
shell@android:/ $ ime enable com.example.android.softkeyboard.SoftKeyboard
ime enable com.example.android.softkeyboard.SoftKeyboard
Error: Unknown id: null
shell@android:/ $

chrome for android - I don't want ANY action to take place within the Google Now launcher for default browser

This seems to be a totally unanswered topic, please enlighten me but...

I don't want ANY action to take place within the Google Now launcher for default browser. I simply want to click on the search box and have it display results for me within Google. I can't get it to stop "asking" for a browser or going to Chrome or going to the default browser. Why can't I simply turn this off?

The default browser constantly pops up unrelenting, not allowing me to use my Google card settings, and simple search box. If I set a default browser, it will actually launch Chrome right out of the Google app, not allowing a simple search within the app.

Going into privacy and turning off "Open web pages in app" does not work, it still opens Chrome. There must be a way, beacuse essentially Google Now cards is useless and the Google Widget is useless, because it always opens Chrome under all circumstances.

Similar to Stop Google Search Opening in Chrome

4.0 ice cream sandwich - Restore deleted photos

I accidentally deleted the entire "downloaded" album full of pictures from my Samsung Galaxy S2 (SPH-D710) and am trying to use a recovery program I downloaded.

My phone will not show up as a remove-able storage device on my computer, or on the program. I have tried to change the USB settings on my phone but there is no USB settings when I go to Settings > Wireless and networks as most information instructs.

I found the setting for USB debugging by going to Settings > Developer options and can turn that on and off, but that is the only setting I can find relating to USB storage.

When I connect it to the USB cord it gives me MTP or PTP options but again no USB options.

Any advice??? Thank you!

connection issues - Can't log in via Gmail app but browser login is fine

I can't log in through my android Gmail application and have to log in using the browser. I am kind of confused. The response I got from the app was "Can't establish a reliable data connection to the server".

applications - Calendar access from apps: only some calendars are displayed

I've Sony Ericsson X10 mini pro with Android 2.1 and root. I want to have a separate timetable calendat that will not be visible in some places (calendar app). I think I've some good reasons for creating a seperate calendar.

I sync calendars in my phone with my Google account. I've enabled auto-sync, but I've tried to force sync manually.

However, although the Sony Ericsson calendar app* can see all the calendars, other apps (e.g. Jorte, Business Calendar Beta, Profile timer and Android Agenda Widget) can't. They can see only some older calendars. Deleting visible calendars didn't solve this problem: the deleted calendars had disappeared, but the new calendars haven't been shown.

I've also tried to delete my account and resync, but it says "This account is required by some applications. You can only remove it by resetting the phone to factory defaults (which deletes all your data)...".

I've also tried to find something interresting in ddms. Error like this is displayed regurarly once a minute (almost exactly, see http://img6.imagebanana.com/img/8eey69l4/plochu1_086.png ): ERROR/ActivityThread(2823): Failed to find provider info for calendarEx

*) Sony Ericsson has replaced the default calendar app by their one.

Answer

So I've finally solved it using the update command (disable sync; restart; update; restart; enable sync) and ot seems to work well. The update command was like:

UPDATE Calendars SET sync_events=1, selected=1 WHERE _id > 3

I had tried compiling the Android Calendar from source, but I was getting sone errors about invalid NDK or SDK version.

mac os x - Why is Android File Transfer necessary?

Apparently newer versions of Android require the use of Android File Transfer. I have an older machine that doesn't require this, and just mounts as a USB mass storage device. I can't see a technical reason why Android File Transfer is now required when it used not to be.

What changed in order to make this necessary? Why is it necessary?

Answer

Newer Android devices don't support USB mass storage because it has a big shortcoming: the phone and the PC can't access the storage at the same time that way. This is because USB mass storage is a low-level protocol giving the PC low-level access to the whole filesystem. This causes knock-on problems when you connect your phone to the PC:-

• Apps on the external storage can't run while it is mounted on the PC.


• Music and other files on the external storage aren't accessible to apps, so even apps that aren't on the external storage might stop working or become useless.


• When the external storage is unmounted from the PC, Android has to rescan it from scratch (see media-scanner) because it can't tell what has changed.



• There's no way for the phone to let the PC access the internal storage this way: Android can't unmount the internal storage, because all apps need access to it, even the system apps.


• This also means there has to be a separate partition and filesystem for the external storage, which the phone can cope with losing access to. Newer Android devices often just have one big partition, and the "external storage" is simply a directory there. It's more convenient that way because you don't have free space split between partitions, but you can't use USB mass storage on only a directory.


• Android can't enforce any filesystem security. The PC has complete access to the exported storage, below the filesystem level. This lets it access any file, and read the raw device data to recover deleted files. This might be considered an undesirable security hole.


• As eldarerathis points out, the external storage has to use the FAT32 filesystem to work this way. This isn't a shortcoming when it's a real SD card, but when it's really non-removable storage, it would be more useful to use a better filesystem.

(Where I say "SD card" here, that means whatever storage your Android device calls "external", even if it's not actually removable.)

In contrast, MTP is higher-level, and allows Android to arbitrate and to share access, just like when sharing directories or filesystems over a network. It even opens the possibility of letting the PC access the internal storage this way, but there are other restrictions around that unrelated to MTP.

As eldarerathis explains, you need special software to access MTP devices from a Mac, because Mac OS doesn't have the appropriate software built-in, like Windows and some Linux distributions do.

Non default browser for specific web page

I have bought my 8 year old a Nexus 7 (lucky boy!). As some of you may know Flash is not available for Jelly Bean so I had to do a bit of a hack using Dolphin browser so he can go to certain Flash powered websites (moshimonsters.com). I want the default browser to still be Chrome so I can use Funamo Parental Control to monitor his web use. Is it possible to create a shortcut/widget/bookmark to the site in question but specifying Dolphin as the browser?

Thanks in advance.

Is there any way to manually bring up the keyboard?

In most cases where the keyboard is needed, it pops up automatically. However, I am trying to play Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup Webtiles on my tablet, and it does not bring up the keyboard. Is there any way to bring it up manually? I'm on a Nexus 7, running Jelly Bean. Ideally, there would be something that did not show up on the status bar, but sat in the notification drawer, and I could tap that to bring up the keyboard.

Actually, even better would be something that sat down in the bottom, next to the navigation controls, but I don't believe that's possible without modifying the framework.

Answer

As I see an alternative keyboard may solve your issue, and this seems to be an acceptable solution, and you even mention something you cannot find -- hereby I proudly present:

Hacker's Keyboard

Checking its Guide, there's in fact a section suggesting such a feature:

You can configure the gesture used for this in the keyboard's "Gesture and key actions" settings menu. If the swipe action is too hard to trigger, try binding the "close keyboard" action to the "Volume down" hardware key. This won't interfere with normal use of the volume button while the keyboard is closed.

Though this applies to "close": If there are gestures you can configure, it might as well be able to have one for "open". The FAQ may reveal some more clues.

SaintWacko notes in the comments:

To be able to open it anywhere, you go into the settings for the keyboard and check the box for 'permanent notification'. It will then keep an entry in the notifications which you can tap to bring up the keyboard at any point.

So this would be an alternative possibility -- the hook being it is hooked to this special keyboard.

applications - MP3 player, that remembers current possition in all playlists or folders

Is there any MP3 player out there, that would remember current file and position in that file, not only for currently played playlist / folder, but also in all playlists / folders, that are added to it?

I know, that remembering file and position in an active playlist, which is essential for listening to audiobooks, is offered by many MP3 players available for Android. But, that's not enough for me.

I'm looking for a player that will:

• 
  

  support multiple playlists at once (with optional easy switch between them),

  
  


• 
  
  

  remember file and position for all playlists and restore / rest it on each switch.

  
  

I tried system player, Winamp and Simple Music Player. All of them lack second option. Once user switches to a new playlist, player begins to play it from the very first file and from its beginning.

I need this feature, because I'm listening to more than one audiobook simultaneously.

I know, that software recommendations are not much welcome to this site (or to any in SE network). But, I'm asking about very specific feature of an MP3 player. So, I treat this question not like recommend me a software, but rather as tell me, if there is anyone out there, that has this feature, or should I code it myself?

Answer

Yes, there is. MortPlayer Audio Books and Smart AudioBook Player have both been verified by me to have asked feature implemented.

Some details:

• 
  

  MortPlayer Audio Books is completely free (it displays ads, but these can be... disabled in settings), but offers an enormous number of options, settings and preferences, which can overwhelm many of fresh users; it is also based on skins, with many skins having... well... not to good UI, look & feel,

  
  


• 
  

  Smart AudioBook Player is much simplier and offers more clean, standard UI, but it is not free. It comes with 30-days trial offering all options, after which it must be purchased for $2 or will block most extra options and features.

  
  

Both players have the most desired option. You can jump between folders or around media library and every time you open up a folder (book), that was opened by you before, you will always start listening from the position, you left it, not from the beginning.

There are probably many more audio players for Android, that supports these feature. Only, to find them, one must search for audiobook player, not for MP3 player, as I did previously.

custom roms - How to unbrick Sony Xperia C2305?

Today I was installing custom ROM on my xperia C. After installation completes, I reboot the phone. Now, it is not starting. I tried pressing keys(power, vol up, vol down) with different different combinations but nothing happens.

The only response I am getting is either connecting to charge or connecting via usb cable to PC and that response is it is just showing RED light as notification only. It isn't getting boot in FLASH mode so that I can Flash it with new firmware.

The reason I concluded for this is that the ROM I installed wasn't for Xperia C.

---

Here's what I did that led to the current situation:

1. Copied a ROM of another device (I think it was of Micromax a116) on to my sd card. link to that rom


2. Rebooted my phone in clockworkmod and wiped all cache, partitions and data with dalvik cache.


3. Installed zip from sd card.


4. After successfull installation, again clean the dalvik cache.


5. Rebooted phone.

There it popped up an option I do not clearly remember, something like "flash recovery mode not installed (yes/no)". I just slide for back option and screen blanked out. After that nothing happens. Only RED Light after connecting USB.

Anybody help me!!

4.0 ice cream sandwich - Android Folder Hierarchy

On Android's root (/), what is the purpose of each folder? I want to learn the folder hierarchy structure. I would like to know the differences between Android 2.3 and 4.x, if they have different folders in "/".

Answer

First, you need to be aware of two facts:

• Android uses more than one file system (think of "multiple drives/partitions" when comparing with your computer


• while sharing a common base, directory structures might differ between manufacturers

So as starting points, I further recommend the file-system tag-wiki and the partition tag-wiki (you might also want to take a look at the most frequented questions using those tags).

In my answer, I will concentrate on the mentioned "common base". However, there still might be deviations made by some manufacturers.

Partitions

As said, Android makes use of multiple partitions. In the file system, they are represented by "directories", which serve as their mount-points:

┌─────────────┬───────────────────────────┐  
| Partition   | Explanation               |  
├─────────────┼───────────────────────────┤  
| /boot       | kernel & Co.              |  
| /cache      | app cache                 |  
| /data       | user data partition¹      |  
| /data/data  | app data¹                 |  

| /dev        | devices²                  |  
| /mnt/asec   | encrypted apps (App2SD)   |  
| /mnt/emmc   | internal sdcard³          |  
| /mnt/sdcard | external sdcard³          |  
| /proc       | process information²      |  
| /recovery   | used in recovery mode     |  
| /system     | system ROM (read-only)    |  
└─────────────┴───────────────────────────┘

¹ Details below

² virtual file systems
³ these might differ. Often, /mnt/sdcard is the internal SD card, while the external SD card is found in /mnt/sdcard/external_sd.

Above list is far from being complete, but should hold the most important partitions.

Directories

Here I again will concentrate on the partitions which are most interesting (or this answer would get far too long and, for most readers, boring.

/data and /data/data

These are in most cases two separate partitions, but there might be cases where this is handled otherwise. One thing they have in common (add /cache here as well): they get wiped on a factory-reset, while the other partitions are usually left untouched by that.

As for the directories contained, I will again concentrate on a selection; most things here you either cannot touch without having your device rooted.

┌────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────┐  
| Directory          | Explanation                                  |  

├────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────┤  
| /data/anr          | traces from app crashes (App Not Responding) |  
| /data/app          | .apk files of apps installed by the user     |  
| /data/backup       | Googles Cloud-Backup stuff                   |  
| /data/dalvik-cache | optimized versions of installed apps¹        |  
| /data/data         | app data²                                    |  
| /data/local        | temporary files from e.g. Google Play³       |  
| /data/misc         | system configuration (WiFi, VPN, etc.)       |  
| /data/system       | more system related stuff (certs, battstat)  |  
| /data/tombstones   | more crash stuff ("core dumps")              |  

└────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

¹ for details on the Dalvik cache, see: dalvik
² each app gets its own data directory assigned here, using the app's package name. There might be a similar directory on your SD card, mostly used by apps with larger amounts of data.
³ usually, files are stored here temporarily to be installed/executed. Google Play e.g. downloads .apk files to this directory, before installing the downloaded app on your device

---

Of course, I intentionally skipped several directories. If you really want to go into details, this site might not be the best fitting place (as we deal with end-user questions -- and end-users normally don't touch these things). In that case, several places/resources might be recommended:

rooting Samsung Galaxy Note 2

How to root Samsung Galaxy Note 2? I have no experience with rooting. Model number is GT-N7100. Android-version 4.1.1.

Answer

This will work on the following Galaxy Note 2:

1.International Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100
2.T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 SGH-T889
3.AT&T Galaxy Note 2 SGH-I317

Other carriers
Sprint Galaxy Note 2 SPH-L900

Verizon Galaxy Note 2 SCH-I605
(Given a link to video and more description at last sentence)

Step 1.

Put your Galaxy Note 2 into Download mode by turning off your phone first then holding down Volume Down, Center Home, and Power buttons together.

Step 2.

Once you see the warning screen, hit Volume Up button to enter ODIN Download Mode then connect a micro-USB cable from your Note 2 to your computer.

Step 3.

If you have to install Samsung USB drivers

Step 4.

Next, download GalaxyNote2Root.zip

Step 5.

Unzip the files. Next, open up the ODIN program by double-clicking on the .exe file.

Step 6.

You should see a yellow-highlighted COM box with a random number. If you don’t see it, double-check your Windows drivers (the Samsung USB drivers you installed in Step 3) and unplug, plug your Note 2 back into your computer.

Step 7.

DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE and click on “PDA” button then find the file cwm6-root-note2.tar(in unzipped folder).

Step 8.

Hit Start and let ODIN flash the custom CWM Recovery. When it’s done, your Galaxy Note 2 will reboot and you should have a fully rooted Galaxy Note 2.

Your phone will boot into newly installed CWM Recovery automatically once and install Superuser app and su binaries then reboot.
You should find a new Superuser app called “SuperSU”.
You can easily verify you have root by downloading Titanium Backup app (free on Play Store) and running it. (a Pop up will appear)

In here they described with details and video that "How to root Note 2" . You have to just go for the carrier name, under which you are now.

Good Luck

NOTE:I'm not responsible if you mess up your phone. Make sure you know what you are doing before following any instructions. Go here .Just read it.

samsung - How to boot system-as-root device always as rooted?

I have a Samsung S10 5G device that is actually a system-as-root device. I have rooted it by following the instructions given here.

As the system-as-root devices have no ramdisk in boot.img but in recovery.img so, I have to always boot the device with a recovery combination to get the root access.

Is there any way to achieve the root on a normal reboot?

I have a full ROM image of the device so, I believe there should be some way. Please share your thoughts.

permissions - How to bind-mount "data" and "obb" folders from external SD card in "/sdcard/Android"?

Can someone help me mount my Android/data and Android/obb in my internal storage from my portable storage? I'm on a Pie ROM. I found this: How to bind mount a folder inside /sdcard with correct permissions? but I don't know what should I do.

When I type:

ls -dZ /sdcard

I get

u:object_r:rootfs:s0 /sdcard

Answer

Sub-directories in /sdcard/Android/data or /sdcard/Android/obb (called apps' private directories on primary external storage) have synthesized permissions based on directory structure. While public directories on the rest of the /sdcard have fixed permissions. See details in Android's Storage Journey and What is /storage/emulated/0/?.

My answer to your linked question: How to bind mount a folder inside /sdcard with correct permissions? addresses the latter case i.e. bind mounting public directories which are shared with all apps. But private directories cannot be bind-mounted from external storage with fixed permissions. However using the same approach you can bind-mount every app's private directory separately.

Let's take example of Termux app. Its private directories (Android/data/com.termux and Android/obb/com.termux) are owned by the UID of Termux app assigned at the time of installation. Common ways to get UID value is to read from /data/system/packages.list or do ls -ld /sdcard/Android/data/com.termux or using stat command. A simple approach is to bind-mount the directory as world-writable so that every app can write to it. But it's not a good idea to set such open permissions. So we go the Android's way; bind-mount a directory from external SD card using FUSE:

~# bindfs -u $(stat -c %u /sdcard/Android/data/com.termux) -g 9997 -p a-rwx,ug+rw,ug+X /mnt/media_rw/[UUID]/Android/data/com.termux /mnt/runtime/write/emulated/0/Android/data/com.termux

• For further mount options and details see the above linked answer.


• Replace /mnt/media_rw/[UUID] with /mnt/expand/[UUID]/media/0 if SD card is formatted as Adoptable Storage but data is not migrated.


• In the same way obb directories can be bind-mounted.


• If your device supports sdcardfs, the same mount should propagate to default and read emulated VIEWS as well. Otherwise if your device is older you can bind-mount the same way to other VIEWS.


• Some apps by default prefer writing private data to secondary external storage (i.e. external SD card), so you don't need to bind-mount their data or obb directories.

htc - App can't be moved to SD card

There was an app moved to SD card.

I did a factory reset. Then I reinstalled the app. It was side loaded by Humble Bundle app, it's not from Google Play.

Now the app can't be moved to SD, getting error "Couldn't move app".

I am guessing there is this some type of Android's cache for this app on SD already that prevents it from moving again, but this is just a speculation.

Titanium backup couldn't move it either. Well, it said it did but it's still "on the phone".

Any ideas welcome.

The phone is HTC Sensation.

Answer

You most probably left some residuals of the (moved) app on your SD card.

The easiest way to remove that would probably to pull out the SD card and remove the moved app on your computer (it's not accessible on your phone easily).

For example, the full path to the moved tricorder app on my phone is: /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure/org.hermit.tricorder-1.asec

Just access it on your PC and remove the appropriate .asec file in the .android_secure folder.

Background (why not to do it on the phone):

Moved Apps are located in a cryptoloop mounted container file which is stored at /mnt/sdcard/.android_asec/*. This is however not accessible so that normal apps cannot mess around with moved apps (there's a tmpf mounted over /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure with 0kb space to inhibit access). The original .android_secure is bind mounted to /mnt/asec/secure where the system can access the containers.

app_36@android:/ $ mount 
# omitted unecessary stuff, only the sdcard, the bind mount and the tmpfs mount are shown 
/dev/block/vold/254:1 /mnt/sdcard vfat [mount-options-omitted] 0 0
/dev/block/vold/254:1 /mnt/secure/asec vfat [mount-options-omitted] 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure tmpfs [mount-options-omitted] 0 0 
# no output, tmpfs still mounted:
app_36@android:/mnt/sdcard/.android_secure # ls

app_36@android:/mnt/secure/asec # umount /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure
# umounted... now there's what we expect:
app_36@android:/mnt/secure/asec # cd /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure
app_36@android:/mnt/sdcard/.android_secure # ls
org.hermit.tricorder-1.asec

applications - Can a Factory Reset fix Malware Problem?

This recent story appeared on Slashdot regarding various malware apps that had invaded the Android Market. Google quickly removed them (and I was not infected - I don't typically download apps), but I was curious - would a factory reset fix the problems that this malware caused (including rooting)? If so, why not?

Answer

For that/those particular piece(s) of malware, the answer is probably yes.

A factory reset does not completely undo rooting, especially with the more "invasive" methods used for a few hard-to-root devices. A simple/common exploit like the ones probably used in these rogue apps is less likely to allow them to persist.

A factory reset should also wipe out installed apps (including the malicious ones) or, if they're stored on the SD card or something, at least reduce them to uninstalled apps just sitting there -- and they can't do anything unless the user reinstalls them.

Factory resets generally leave the /system partition intact, however, and any malware could theoretically have replaced system binaries with malicious versions or something along those lines. To be on the safe side you would want to re-flash your ROM and not just do a factory reset.

cyanogenmod - Send blind calls to voicemail?

I'm getting more and more blind calls on my cellphone from telemarketers.

Is there an application that can send all incoming blind calls to voicemail?

FWIW, I'm running Cyanogenmod on a Galaxy Nexus.

Thank you.

wi fi - Authentication problem while connecting to WiFi hot spot!

I just unboxed my androidOne device (Micromax Canvas A1) and while connnecting to my WiFi hotspot it loops through:

1. When entered the password, proxy etc: Saved, secured with WPA2



2. When tapped on connect: Authenticating...


3. and then: Authentication Problem

Note that my room-mates (and even I, with my other phone,) can use the hot spot.

Is this an indication of problem with device?

I tried:

1. Forgetting access points and resetting passwords.
2. restarting my phone several times
3. restarting my hotspot several times
4. factory resetting the phone once

nothing worked.

Answer

I solved the problem by replacing the default wifi driver that comes with windows with the one downloaded from manufacturer website.

4.0 ice cream sandwich - How do I turn on flashmode in Sony Ericsson Ray?

How do I turn on flashmode in sony xperia ray? I am doing what is said in forum the flash tool says I am in Fastboot mode not in flash mode.

Answer

HINT: Just try the combination with the other volume button if you enter the wrong mode (that's what I do because I cannot remember the button trick either and do trial&error every other time I need this.

Launch your software, prepare the ftf for flashing and only then do the following to enter flash mode:

• Switch off the phone (remove battery maybe)


• Press the Volume down button and hold it


• (While holding) Plug in the USB cable


• If successful, the LED should turn green

Just for the record, to enter fastboot mode:

• Switch off the phone (remove battery maybe)



• Press the Volume up button and hold it


• (While holding) Plug in the USB cable


• If successful, the LED should turn blue

If I mixed something up, please correct me.

Network mode switch quick settings tile

I have a bootleggers ROM (Android 9 pie) installed on a Motorola Moto E 2015 phone. Can I add a quick settings tile that would switch between 2G only and 2G/3G/4G network modes?

In Lineage and ResurrectionRemix ROMs there is an "LTE" tile, which can achieve this, I think. But Bootleggers rom doesn't have it. I solved this with Shortcutter app, but it opens a list of network modes every time, so I have to click twice instead of once. Ideally, the tile should switch between these two network modes and display the current mode.

Answer

For everything you want to automate on your Android phone I highly recommend you to use Automate. Automate is a powerful visual scripting app. Imagine it to be the BluePrints for Android. Or should you know Scratch, it's just like that. Changing default Network Type is a system setting you can easily do using Automate.

Automate offers the "Quick Settings Tile Show" block that sets up an QS Tile and can be interacted with. For use of that block, refer to https://llamalab.com/automate/doc/block/quick_settings_tile_show.html

This app is an scripting app. This means you still have to create your program according to your wishes, but I suppose that should not be a problem for you. https://llamalab.com/automate/

Your script will look like this:

At first you need to set your preferred network type. Let's go with LTE here. You pick the "System Settings Set" Block, choose "Network Preferrence" and enter LTE. Note: The actual value your system uses to express "LTE" may vary from device to device. To find out which term YOUR device uses, you can utilize the "System Setting Get" block: In your settings, set LTE as preferred network. Then, within Automate, you use the System Setting Get block and ask for the current preferred network. You assign the block output to a variable (You don't need to manually create one. A variable with the name you enter will be created automatically), for example "Type". Then, you pick the "Toast Show" Block, and enter the name of the variable. Note: Automate uses text as primary input. You can change between these modes by clicking the "fx" icon right next to the input field.

It will change into a Stamp then. Text always has these "" around them, while variables don't. When entering the variable into the Toast Show block, be sure to switch into Variable input mode and enter the name of your variable without these "".

When you have found out how your device calls "LTE" in the settings, go back to our original script. Here you can add it to the System Setting Set block.

So far, our script has two blocks: The Flow Start and System Setting Set block. Now we add the Quick Settings Tile. For that, you pick the Quick Settings Tile Show block and set it up according to your wishes. For example you can call it LTE, choose an appropriate Icon and make it "Active".

Now, add another System Settings Set block, that changes the network preferrence to whatever you want to have instead, for example EDGE or WDCMA. To find out by which name your system calls these network types, you can recycle the "System Settings Get - Toast Show"-Script.

And then, once again, put another Quick Settings Tile Show block with the same input arguments, except for the "Active" button, which should be left inactive this time.