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how to use microsd to expand app storage

That is awesome. Will the same think work on the firestick 2nd gen?

For now I am just going to use the UBS drive for additional storage. I have a small 4G drive that I am going to use until the 32GB USB drive comes in.

How can I safely remove the USB from the firestick ?

Well basically you don't.
Because if you do pull it out, you remove the storage that those apps are installed on and are using, and non of those apps will work.

If you do set removable storage for internal use, to expand app storage, it's formatted and encrypted as EXT4, which can't be used and read by anything else, except the device that created it.

Razer phone 2 OS UPDATE?

Is the Razer phone 2 receiving Android update?
according to gsmarena.com Razer Phone 2 the phone is upgrade-able to android 9, Pie.

it might depend on your carrier as well. you can check for updates somewhere in your phone's settings. it should be somewhere around the "about phone" options toward the bottom of your settings list. if there is no update, then there you go.

Need some help finding lost files!

Suggest you try Photorec. https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec It is completely free, and I've successfully used it to recover deleted pictures and videos.

I appreciate all of the advice. The end result is I am still very sad about all of this. Diskdigger wants you to buy the pro version even though it found the photos/videos and when I went to recover them in the trial version ..it turned my videos into small images ..1 per video. This wouldn't be so bad but these were very small videos of my mother - who is 80 and my older sister. Knowing this program was able to find them but now only giving me a small sample of the video - hence ..compressed photo really makes me sad. My phone is unlocked but I have no clue if that means rooted or not. I wish there was a way to rollback the phone to a previous date, like restore does in Windows. Is there a way or any more suggestions guys?

I don't use Windows myself, I'm Mac and Linux, but doesn't Windows completely delete the originals when you do a Move rather than Copy in its File Manager?

My phone is black screen

I have this issue with my pixel 3. The screen will go dark, just black out. The phone will be fully charged working great and then poof dark screen, unresponsive phone, sometimes the issue last a few minutes the longest to date was 2.5 hours, fortunately I have a spare phone.
The phone eventually rebooted

Another S20 Ultra software update: G988U1UEU1ATCT

Is there a directory that shows the total updates from Samsung for other models? Can't seem to track it down. None of my updates thus far have included the "Improved performance- camera" segment.
Not that I am aware of Rob.

I guess, like you, I got my Software Update link, https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988B/BTU/doc.html, from...

Settings > Software update > Last update > Link

Samsung seem to be compartmentalizing their updates to specific models, branded/unbranded and region.

So far, we know 2...

Exynos, unbranded, U.K. SM-988B/BTU = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988B/BTU/doc.html

Snapdragon, Verizon, USA, SM-G988U1/VZW = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988U1/VZW/doc.html

Probably, around 40-50 more to go.


[EDIT] Playing around a bit, I came up with these official Samsung changelogs for the various models and regions...

Exynos, unbranded, U.K. SM-988B/BTU = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988B/BTU/doc.html

Exynos, unbranded, France, SM-988B/XEF = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988B/XEF/doc.html

Exynos, Orange, France, SM-988B/FTM = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988B/FTM/doc.html

Exynos, Bouygues, France, SM-988B/BOG = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988B/BOG/doc.html

Exynos, unbranded, Paraguay, SM-988B/UPO = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988B/UPO/doc.html

Exynos, Optus, Australia, SM-G988B/OPS = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988B/OPS/doc.html

All identical changelogs for the Exynos model, so far.


Snapdragon, AT&T, USA, SM-G988U1/ATT = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988U1/ATT/doc.html

Snapdragon, T-Mobile, USA, SM-G988U1/TMB = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988U1/TMB/doc.html

Snapdragon, T-Mobile, USA, SM-G988U/TMB = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988U/TMB/doc.html

Snapdragon, Sprint, USA, SM-G988U1/SPR = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988U1/SPR/doc.html

Snapdragon, Sprint, USA, SM-G988U/SPR = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988U/SPR/doc.html

Snapdragon, Cellular South, USA, SM-G988U1/XAR = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988U1/XAR/doc.html

Snapdragon, unbranded, Puerto Rico, SM-G988U1/PCT = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988U1/PCT/doc.html

Snapdragon, Verizon, USA, SM-G988U1/VZW = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988U1/VZW/doc.html

All identical changelogs for the USA Snapdragon models, so far.

Snapdragon, Open China, China, SM-G9880/CHC = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G9880/CHC/doc.html

Snapdragon, unbranded, Taiwan, SM-G9880/BRI = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G9880/BRI/doc.html

Snapdragon, KT Corporation, S. Korea, SM-988N/KTC = https://doc.samsungmobile.com/SM-G988N/KTC/doc.html


This is a very rough guide to the various model numbers and the regions/carriers I have found so far.

Model #

SM-988B = Global (most countries of the world unbranded/lightly branded, boot logo, etc: )

SM-988N = South Korea (SK Telecom, LG Uplus, KT Corporation)

SM-G988U = USA (T-Mobile, Sprint (cdma), Comcast, Xfinity Mobile, Verizon)

SM-G988U1 = USA & Puerto Rico (unbranded, AT&T, T-Mobile, Cellular South, Tracfone, Comcast, Sprint (cdma), Bluegrass Cellular, Nextech/C-Spire, Xfinity Mobile, Puerto Rico

(The SM-G988U models are carrier locked U.S.A. versions)

SM-9880 = China (Open China, Taiwan, Hong Kong)

how to eject/umount USB stick

I have two firesticks (2nd gen and a 4K) with both using a OTG power Y cable.

I can access the USB thumbdrive on both and access the files.

But I can not find a way to safely eject or unmount the thumbdrive.

If I unplug the drive I get an error message saying to go to my firetv/settings/storage and select USB to eject.
But there is no USB listed in any settings menu

If I plug the thumbdrive into the computer I get an error and it scans and fixes it.

How can I safely remove the USB drive from the firestick?

How can I open apk file on Android and PC?

Hello to you... if you've read the answers to your thread starter, then you will be safer.

If you meet people in the know here, or at XDA, you can be assured that you can trust the information, as well as the .apk download... ask anyone who uses these, and you will find my assessment to be truthful as well.

If you're a novice, try F-Droid and Github. F-Droid is very trustworthy, but at other sites like AC, Github and others - you can get the SHAFT of BRICKDOM if you aren't careful... especially in apps like Discord, or any virtual box app for PCs.

I got started 'doing the root thing' back in early Gingerbread right here in AF, a DECADE ago. But ever since ICS 4.0, the so-called "TOS" from ops like Google changed. I would get trusted .apk files, and prior to root in a Samsung, for example, I used Odin to get files in; prior to getting TWRP to replace my phone's bootloader, that is... and brother, I bricked phones many times. Many times. But...

Chat up MoodyBlues, @ocnbrze or Revenant Ghost - as most of us are great traffic cops - and you will see that wherever we tell you to go and get good files... you will be safe (if you follow directions EXACTLY). Rave on with your Android, & be careful out there with Bat Corona -

LW

Moto G5+ to Pixel 2

I just bought a Pixel 2. How can I transfer my 200+ apps and most especially some of the apps' history (2 years of ski runs, my text messages/phone calls or my offline maps, for example) from my Motorola Moto G5+ to the Pixel 2? Supposedly google does automatic backups, but I have no idea what gets backed up or how to transfer it to the new phone if that's even possible.
my friend also facing the issue if you found let me know

Does anyone know what this app is?

The problem with this is that there are literally millions of apps, the heart is a commonly-used symbol which can mean many things (there are a huge range of apps that use heart symbols, including obvious ones like health apps, the type of app you are worried about, but also to signify a "like" in many social media apps, and I've seen it used by message apps, radio stations, and sometimes just because the app developer likes the heart symbol or thinks it sets a nice image for their app or company even though it's nothing to do with the function). And it's almost impossible to search for these images. So unless you are very lucky and someone happens to have that same particular app the chances of anyone being able to identify it are very slim.

To me that looks like a fan rather than a radar sweep, but I don't know whether that will help you.

To be honest, your best bet is probably to ask her.

I agree but thought I'd give this a shot first but yeah, I agree with all of the above. Thank you though!

Tablet Update

Thanks for your detailed response.
The reasons why I want to install other software are firstly, the tablet is very slow and its hardware is relatively good, so it is really annoying that it is brand new and barely moving
Second, I saw that there are many apps in the Google Store that just don't show up or can't be installed.
As others have said, using a newer version of Android isn't likely in itself to speed up a slow device. Perhaps it might help if the manufacturer's software is very poorly optimised, but otherwise probably not.

I'd be surprised if there are a lot of apps that require Android 9 or later. There are other reasons why apps might not show up, i.e. why they are not flagged as compatible with your particular device, and if that's the case then updating Android won't change anything. If you give me some examples I can test by seeing whether they show on my devices (I have both Android 10 and Android 5 devices on my desk now ;)).
Can you explain about the process?
I noticed that the guide is out of date because version 17 has been released and all downloads are not valid, Now I don’t know what kind of version to download.
In addition, I couldn’t figure out how to install TWRP Recovery, I tried searching the internet but didn’t find much information about it
I’m terribly afraid to get stuck in the middle of a manual or not know what or how to do and destroy the tablet

Thank you for your help .
What do you mean by "downloads are not valid"? I've not tried downloading anything but there seem to be links present.

Forget about version 17. The fact that Lineage 17 exists is irrelevant unless someone has built it for your device. This is the first thing you must understand: on any mobile device (including Apple ones) the OS must be built for the specific hardware. So you can only install software that has been built for your model of tablet: if you tried to install software built for a different device the best case is that the tools would not let you install it, because if it did install it would not work and in the worst case could render it impossible to install something that would. Official software tools will usually protect against this, but the tools used for installing custom software won't (because by definition you are installing software that hasn't been signed by the manufacturer), so it is very important to understand this before starting.

The process in outline:
* Most android devices come "locked" so that you cannot install unofficial system software (also true for iDevices). There are exceptions, some budget Chinese devices don't bother, but most do. This is partly control-freakery, partly to stop customers who don't know what they are doing messing things up and then blaming the manufacturer, or making support calls after they have changed the software and so the manufacturer has no idea what they have done.

* The commonest way to install custom software is to first install a "custom recovery". TWRP is the best-known of these. "Recovery" is a software module independent of the Android software which all android devices have. It is used to install official updates and can be used to fix simple problems, e.g. if the device won't boot because of corrupted data you can do a factory reset from recovery, which erases all data off the device (but does not change the system software in any way - a common misconception is that a "factory reset" would restore the original system software, but this is just not true). The stock (official) recovery will only install software digitially signed by the original manufacturer, so in order to install a custom ROM the recovery module is replaced by a modified version (custom recovery). The custom recovery can install unsigned software, and also do things the stock recovery can't such as a full backup of the current ROM, currently installed apps and their data (known as a "nandroid" backup since the system storage is technically NAND flash RAM).

Like the custom ROM (custom operating system and user interface software) the recovery must also be built for the particular model: installing a recovery built for a different device is very likely to mess things up badly (to the extent that the device won't boot). Actually using an incorrect recovery (after installing it), if it does work at all, is even more likely to do so (especially using it to install other software).

* The instructions for installing TWRP linked from that page seemed to link to a page of YouTube videos. At this point I must disclose that I have no patience with video instructions (much more time-consuming and less useful than a simple set of written instructions, and far less likely to be updated) and so I've not looked at any of these. So I can't tell you whether any of them are any good, whether they are for your specific device or just generic stuff, whether they are out of date (e.g. if they suggest using some "one click root app" they are out of date, as those things haven't worked since Android 6). I also don't know your device so can't tell you what to do there.

The common procedure these days is to "unlock the bootloader" (if possible), which allows you to use a program on a computer called "fastboot" to flash an image of the TWRP recovery over the stock recovery module. I hope that one of those videos is for your device and tells you how to do this. It often involves finding the "developer options" menu in the settings - which usually appears if you find the "build number" in the software information and tap on it repeatedly until it tells you you are a developer (Google think this is cute...) - enabling unlocking in via developer options and then using a fastboot command to unlock. Once unlocked you can then use fastboot to flash the recovery partition with your TWRP image. That sounds complex, but it's relatively straightforward and easier than playing cat and mouse with Apple, who go to great lengths to stop anything like this being possible at all.

* Once you have a TWRP for your device you can follow the instructions on that page to install the ROM. You need the ROM (not source code) in a zip file for this. The instructions look correct to me (I don't know about any quirks of this device, but as a general procedure they look fine).

The remaining puzzle is the ROM itself: the instructions and the link say "lineage 16" but when you follow the link the code is all "pixel experience". I have to admit this doesn't fill me with confidence in the author of this page. Nor does the fact that the ROM links come with multiple versions: "arm" and "arm64" presumably refer to 32-bit and 64-bit builds, and "aonly" and "ab" refer to whether the device has a single system partition ("aonly") or two ("ab" - recent devices from Google and some others have dual system partitions, referred to as "a" and "b"). The problem is that only one of these can be correct for your device, so linking to a page with all 4 and not indicating which also does not fill me with confidence. I would guess you want arm64 aonly, since the cores of that SoC are 64 bit and it's unlikely that a generic Chinese device is using the a-b partition scheme (though Google are going to make it mandatory in future, relatively few manufacturers have adopted it yet). But it's only a guess.

If you do this, the most important thing is to find a TWRP that is built for your model - without that nothing else is possible.

The second most important thing is to take a nandroid before attempting to install the ROM. And that should be stored on a removable SD card or external storage, not internal storage of the device (because you are going to do a factory reset during the install which would erase a backup that was on the internal storage!). If the new ROM doesn't work, restoring the nandroid using TWRP will get your old one back. I would always take a nandroid before performing any modifications to the ROM.

But as I said at the start, it's not certain that this will fix the problems you describe. It really depends on whether they are due to the current ROM or the device itself.

Galaxy S4 update?

The quickest way to update it would be to find the appropriate firmware on sammobile.com or some other hosting site and flash it using Odin. You'll need the exact model number as Samsung has this unfortunate habit of releasing boatloads of models with the same name, but vary just enough so that firmware isn't able to jump from one to the other. The problem I see, though is that a quick search shows the S4 stopped being updated after Lollipop, so if you want to go to Marshmallow you'll have to use a custom ROM rather than an official one. Not to mention that the S4 is old and probably not going to give a great experience with Samsung bloat.

If you're willing to give an alternate Android version a try, you can take the S4 all the way to Android 10 with LineageOS.

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