General [HELP THREAD] Ask ANY Question. Noob Friendly.

[immortalneo]

There are a lot of people joining XDA on a daily basis, and there are a lot of repetitive questions being asked
which clutter up the Development and 'Q & A' threads. Point them here. Feel free to ask or answer questions.

The idea of this thread is to get users to help other users with their problems/questions. People are usually
ridiculed for asking questions that other people deem stupid even though it may be a legitimate question. This
leads to new users being afraid to ask questions!

Only provide well mannered help towards users in this thread. Please do not spoon feed, but rather point in
the direction where that user can find an answer and educate himself. If you don't want to answer, at least
point out where to find the answer.


Before posting anything, I strongly advise you to read THIS thread.

Then, have a quick look at the names of threads in Post No. 2, you might find what you need right away.

Third. Even if you do get your question answered, please do come back and read threads in Post No. 2
(coming later as soon as we start getting the guides) to educate yourself. You'll be surprised how much time
and frustration it will save you in the future!


No abuse towards noobs tolerated here! That means:

NO TROLLING
NO NAME CALLING
NO RIDICULING
NO FLAMING​

ASK ANY QUESTION HERE! No question is stupid or irrelevant in this thread. You will either get an answer or will get pointed in the right direction.

*A Special Thanks to mark manning for his help in creating this thread*


HALL OF FAME

People who contributed most to this thread and helped countless number of people with their
problems/questions. In no particular order.

Bruce Wayne
post-mortem
SilentStrider
Ghostfreak NB
mayank9856
sgs22012
Zatta
ADDICT.ANK


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[apandahfan]

If that device doesn´t have a custom ROM specifically built for it, then you can´t flash/install any custom ROM.

The most you can search is a GSI, in case the bootloader can be unlocked, and it is a treble compatible device.

How do i Know if my bootloader can be unlocked? In Developer options i dont see "oem unlocking" switch

 

[LordLiverpool]

https://twrp.me/faq/openrecoveryscript.html, you also can use a mouse.

Indeed you can. I got a micro-USB to USB-C adapter and connected my mouse with an OTG cable, and it works. I was able to reboot from TWRP (my phone is still alive, no reset needed apparently). It seems that you have to boot once from TWRP, and from then on the phone will boot normally. The screen is still unresponsive when in TWRP, however, so I'll need to connect the mouse for that.

Now to actually do something with TWRP, specifically: make Titanium Backup work.

 

[SubwayChamp]

How do i Know if my bootloader can be unlocked? In Developer options i dont see "oem unlocking" switch

Usually this feature has to be displayed in developer sections, but assuming that it doesn´t, then go to fastboot and type fastboot oem device-info and, beside the CMD respond, you can try with fastboot flashing unlock

 

[DiamondJohn]

A question, which is more of a legal one than technical. I think I know the practical answer, but I was wondering if there is any precedent for this case. Its related to a question I asked previously a few posts up.

I use a VERY customisable & unique & powerful launcher, which was a paid app when I purchased it back in GB says, and it still available as a paid app on the playstore today. However, the dev has stopped updating it/developing it, and released the source code onto GitHub, so anyone could potentially compile it, to get an APK.

So, now that the source code is open sourced, does that mean that all the unofficial non PlayStore sources of the APK (as found on the playstore) are now considered legit? and available for use by anyone? ie without making the purchase on the playstore.

My thinking is that the compiled APK on they playstore (ie official APK, CRC binary checked) is not legally allowed to be used, but the practicality of someone who has released the source code to claim their proprietary ownership of that specific APK, to be very low. But I am not a copyright lawyer.

Has there been any precedent for this type of case?

What would XDA's position be in this murky grey area?

I have a legit purchased copy, but now I am thinking if I could suggest doing an APK search to others, outside of the playstore. Or am I directing them into warez

 

[ILikeOldStuff]

I'm neither a lawyer nor a moderator at XDA, but here are some thoughts.

So, now that the source code is open sourced, does that mean that all the unofficial non PlayStore sources of the APK (as found on the playstore) are now considered legit? and available for use by anyone? ie without making the purchase on the playstore.

There are some practical considerations as well. For those clones on the play store, were they put there before, or after, the original dev put source code on Github? If before, seems to me that is not kosher, though there may be little or no interest in prosecution at this point.

Another detail, is there any way of knowing that the APKs you find anywhere actually came from that Github code, without adding any mystery malware? There are some sites like F-droid that make a point of doing the compile themselves to give some assurance that this did not happen and what you see in the source code is what you get in the APK. But Play store and most other sites do not take this precaution so you really do not know what you are downloading from those other places.

I would suggest that for safety you should either compile it yourself, or have someone you trust do that for you. I don't see any APK in Github, only a single fork with minimal changes to one text file by a person who did not seem to be part of the original team. It may be some time before they have anything ready to compile and release. After that you would have to consider whether you trust this new author.

As for other authors putting clones on Play store, do you really want to trust someone who steals code and passes it off as their original work? If they lie about whose code it was, would they not also lie about whether they added any malware? There is the potential of sending your friends into a mess if they look for alternate APKs and they choose a bad one.

 

[DiamondJohn]

I'm neither a lawyer nor a moderator at XDA, but here are some thoughts.

There are some practical considerations as well. For those clones on the play store, were they put there before, or after, the original dev put source code on Github? If before, seems to me that is not kosher, though there may be little or no interest in prosecution at this point.

Another detail, is there any way of knowing that the APKs you find anywhere actually came from that Github code, without adding any mystery malware? There are some sites like F-droid that make a point of doing the compile themselves to give some assurance that this did not happen and what you see in the source code is what you get in the APK. But Play store and most other sites do not take this precaution so you really do not know what you are downloading from those other places.

I would suggest that for safety you should either compile it yourself, or have someone you trust do that for you. I don't see any APK in Github, only a single fork with minimal changes to one text file by a person who did not seem to be part of the original team. It may be some time before they have anything ready to compile and release. After that you would have to consider whether you trust this new author.

As for other authors putting clones on Play store, do you really want to trust someone who steals code and passes it off as their original work? If they lie about whose code it was, would they not also lie about whether they added any malware? There is the potential of sending your friends into a mess if they look for alternate APKs and they choose a bad one.

To be clear, I have purchased the original and have installed the latest that is on the playstore, and I have never seen any clones or even ones that have copied the extreme features of this launcher. Its not really anything for me in particular. I have a trusted APK from the dev-playstore. I could check the CRC of the one on my phone & any thing available from elsewhere with a CRC check, but I personally have no need. Its just such a brilliant launcher (except for the very very steep learning curve and poor default set-up) which I have seen nothing that even comes close., if it was kosher, I'd ne telling everyone to get it. I did check if a compiled APK was on the web, and found one that I would guess would be Warez from when it didn't have the source code released, and the file was 1 byte longer; I didnt bother to compare all other bytes.

As for F-Droid, the dev has to make the step to get it included, and since dev is abandoned, this dev has no need or reason to keep it working for newer android versions. On that note, it actually has features that fail in A11 that are working again in A12. Without checking, I think it is because of bugs in A11, not the launcher. Dont even get me started on the Android bug for non-embeded album art, which started around A10 and is still borked in A13

So to restate the obvious, the question was a concept test, not a practicality for me, for this app, as I purchased it when it was like back in GB days, and it still works in A13.

PS: Did I mention I loved this launcher....

 

[fonzacus]

manual way of installing fonts on droids? on win and lin, we just put them in a special folder, force refresh the font cache, done

i want to add unifonts since it literally has most known fonts, but nothing can pick it up. there used to be a fallback font but i dont see it anymore in the system, vendor, and product partition files and their etc/fonts.xml

seems havoc styles puts the /product/fonts as the main system fonts since havocs add a new theme picks up the fonts only in that foldef

 

[mrfas12]

Hi all, my phone recently broke and I had the banking app on it. When I try to run it on the emulator, it crashes. The emulator is MEMU (version 6) and the bank app is OTP Bank HU. Thanks in advance!

 

[Afeef_H_S]

Okay so I have Pixel Experience installed on my phone and I don't know why but google recognizes it as a nexus device (whereas it's actually a Redmi device). Is it because of spoofing? If so, is it legal to use it?

 

[ripppani]

Hello everyone!

I am using a Sony Xperia 10 II HK version (XQ-AU52) and my operator in Japan does not have 2G or 3G services. Currently I can use data and SMS but not phone calls. Does that mean I need to enable VoLTE on the device to get phone calls working?

The option to enable VoLTE is missing in the Settings menu. What should I do to fix it?

I see some people suggesting to flash a Japan or SEA firmware to get the option to enable VoLTE. Why does the region customization of firmware affect the availability of the option to enable VoLTE?

 

[Deluxo_007]

Hi, could you help me? I have a problem. I'm trying to install a custom rom on a Redmi 8, but when I try to install, it throws me this error.

fixed: failed assert update_dynamic_partitions(package_extract_file(dynamic_partitions_op_list))

Could you help me to solve this error, thanks in advance.

 

[flyingverdi]

Hi all,
I'm having issues unlocking the bootloader on a Samsung Galaxy A14 5G. The OEM Unlock slider doesn't show up under developer options, I can't find anything in recovery mode or Odin mode, and the fastboot command line tool always fails with "remote: unknown command" even though it will connect to and see the device (maybe expected because of Samsung's lack of fastboot, I don't know).

Is there something I'm missing, or other options I could try?
Thanks in advance!

 

[SubwayChamp]

Hi all, my phone recently broke and I had the banking app on it. When I try to run it on the emulator, it crashes. The emulator is MEMU (version 6) and the bank app is OTP Bank HU. Thanks in advance!

Probably the app is detecting that you´re running it in an emulator, for security reasons, it refuses to work, anyway you can redirect here https://www.memuplay.com/support.html, there are also a blog to join in.

 

[SubwayChamp]

Hi, could you help me? I have a problem. I'm trying to install a custom rom on a Redmi 8, but when I try to install, it throws me this error.

fixed: failed assert update_dynamic_partitions(package_extract_file(dynamic_partitions_op_list))

Could you help me to solve this error, thanks in advance.

Update to the correct custom recovery, format data before attempting, reboot to recovery and try it again.

 

[flyiseasy]

How and where exactly can I make a new post on my not pre-existed question? I am searching for sth like a plus icon or an icon of new post, etc.

 

[Zero.Tech.Savvy]

This is a repeat of my first question. Sorry, not trying to spam. Just no replies on initial ask, and not positive if it posted in the correct place.

Scrolling through the apps installed on my phone, and it is hit or miss on which of the Android and/or Google apps have \u0026 in the middle of their names. Not all, but it seems the important ones do, that downloaded and installed in the middle of the night hours or days after the initial purchase and set up of the phone. Isn't Gmail, Chrome, Android Web View, Device Unlock, Calculator, Device Health Services, and most Google services already installed in Android phones? It's even in some of the apps I installed later on, but not all. I have looked it up, both here and using different search engines. Not too excited with the results, nor do I have the IT brains to understand all the jargon. Would someone here please explain it in layman's terms? BTW, I know I have been hacked/tracked by my ex for a while now. Would \u0026 happen to be a way to remote access and monitor my phone usage?

EDIT: Nothing was synced to old phones, devices, or accounts. This isn't the first new device he has gained access to. There have been several brands and models, phones and laptops. Your guess is as good as mine, and the police, as to how it is being done. Sometimes he leaves "<rooted>" on the screen or turns on 911 only it locks up the phone a few hours after bringing it into the house. He works in the tech industry. No, this isn't my device I've asked this on. This really hasn't been as fun as it sounds.

Thank you all in advance!
I will put my tin foil hat on while anxiously waiting your replies.
(I know, funny not funny. Either has been having to live with his BS.)

 

[ripppani]

This is a repeat of my first question. Sorry, not trying to spam. Just no replies on initial ask, and not positive if it posted in the correct place.

(More info added)
I was looking at what apps have installed into my phone, and it is hit or miss on which of the Android and/or Google apps have \u0026 in the middle of their names... not all, but it seems the important ones do, that downloaded and installed in the middle of the night hours or days after the initial purchase and set up of the phone. (Isn't Gmail, Chrome, Android Web View, Device Unlock, Calculator, Device Health Services, and most Google services already installed in Android phones?) It's even in some of the apps I installed later; certain dating and wifi calling apps, but not all. I have looked it up, both here and using different search engines. Not too excited with the results, nor do I have the IT brains to understand all the jargon. Would someone here please explain it in layman's terms? BTW, I know I have been hacked/tracked by my ex for a while now. Would \u0026 happen to be a way to remote access and monitor my phone usage?

EDIT: Nothing was synced to old phones, devices, or accounts. This isn't the first new device he has gained access to. There have been several brands and models, phone and laptops. Your guess is as good as mine, and Johnny Law's, as to how it is being done. Sometimes he leaves "<rooted>" on the screen or bricks/911 only mere hours after bringing a device into the house. He also works in software help & development. No, this isn't my device I've asked this on. This really hasn't been as fun as it sounds.

Thank you all in advance!
I will put my tin foil hat on while anxiously waiting your replies.
(I know, funny not funny. Either has been having to live with his BS.)

\u0026 seems to be the escape sequence of the Unicode character &. \u0026 cannot do any damage by itself, but it can be and probably is a result of incorrect encoding or decoding of text strings, which in turn could be caused by hacking. If you don't know what Unicode is, here is the Wikipedia article.

I am not sure whether the "<rooted>" really represents that the device is rooted, but you generally don't want someone untrusted to root your device, as rooting it allows the one who rooted it to have unrestricted access to the device.

 

[Zero.Tech.Savvy]

\u0026 seems to be the escape sequence of the Unicode character &. \u0026 cannot do any damage by itself, but it can be and probably is a result of incorrect encoding or decoding of text strings, which in turn could be caused by hacking. If you don't know what Unicode is, here is the Wikipedia article.

I am not sure whether the "<rooted>" really represents that the device is rooted, but you generally don't want someone untrusted to root your device, as rooting it allows the one who rooted it to have unrestricted access to the device.

He has had remote unrestricted access to my devices. The <rooted> is one of his reminders he is there, as well as <bootloadermode>, or the locking up or turning on 911 calls only. This hasn't been fun, either having it happen en use or waking up to it. I do not allow this. New devices, new Google accounts, never syncing, and never logging into old accounts. However, no one seems to be able to figure out how he gets into new devices once they enter the house. New routers, modems, entire internet accounts, he still weasels his way in. The hacking apps are Google Developer based, this I know. Try getting info on that out of Google without a warrant. Cyber cops have brushed this under the rug since there has been no physical or financial harm, as of yet.

He lived with me when we were dating. Is there a device that may be in my home that could hi-jack my wifi, allow him to sign into my device, and show it as my device while VPN-ing an address even after all the changes? (I seems to travel all over the place on occasion according to my IP addresses that show up) The location tracking and call/text monitoring is real, as he has shown up or had let things said in my private (ha!) conversations with others slip. Of course he has nothing to do with this. (ha! again)

Any help or input on this would be greatly appreciated. I have looked things up at the library until my eyes bled. I can only comprehend so much without an IT background. I do not have the money for a cyber forensic investigator, and I know the local police probably have me on the Crazy Crying Wolf list. Which is just as embarrassing as knowing that having a complete lack of privacy in my life is a total nightmare.

Thank you again.

 

[ripppani]

He has had remote unrestricted access to my devices. The <rooted> is one of his reminders he is there, as well as <bootloadermode>, or the locking up or turning on 911 calls only. This hasn't been fun, either having it happen en use or waking up to it. I do not allow this. New devices, new Google accounts, never syncing, and never logging into old accounts. However, no one seems to be able to figure out how he gets into new devices once they enter the house. New routers, modems, entire internet accounts, he still weasels his way in. The hacking apps are Google Developer based, this I know. Try getting info on that out of Google without a warrant. Cyber cops have brushed this under the rug since there has been no physical or financial harm, as of yet.

He lived with me when we were dating. Is there a device that may be in my home that could hi-jack my wifi, allow him to sign into my device, and show it as my device while VPN-ing an address even after all the changes? (I seems to travel all over the place on occasion according to my IP addresses that show up) The location tracking and call/text monitoring is real, as he has shown up or had let things said in my private (ha!) conversations with others slip. Of course he has nothing to do with this. (ha! again)

Any help or input on this would be greatly appreciated. I have looked things up at the library until my eyes bled. I can only comprehend so much without an IT background. I do not have the money for a cyber forensic investigator, and I know the local police probably have me on the Crazy Crying Wolf list. Which is just as embarrassing as knowing that having a complete lack of privacy in my life is a total nightmare.

Thank you again.

Sorry to hear that.

To your question

Is there a device that may be in my home that could hi-jack my wifi, allow him to sign into my device, and show it as my device while VPN-ing an address even after all the changes?

It is impractical, as long as the attacker (him) has never had access to the device. One cannot simply gain access to a modern device connected to a hi-jacked WiFi without other sophisticated techniques.

What you are describing is beyond what a nice stranger online can fix, as it looks like you are under social engineering attacks. Social engineering attack means the vulneralbility does not lie in the computer itself, rather it lies in the user. But as general advices, not letting untrusted person touch your devices and not installing weird apps can be a good start, as well as using strong passwords.

Also the way you describe it is very vague so a reader cannot know exactly what is happening, which makes it very difficult for a reader to provide any solution.

Consult someone you can trust with IT background and show them what is happening, although the apparent absence of such people might be the reason why you are asking online in the first place.

Take care.

 

[SubwayChamp]

Here? https://xdaforums.com/f/general-questions-and-answers.456/post-thread