Ask Android

Does anyone know where I could find comparisons of the various Lemmy clients available? I'd like to see something contrasting things like app maturity, features available, update release frequency, and etc?

I'm looking to try out some of the more mature clients since the one I'm using (Boost) has been exhibiting some problems for me recently. I wanted to narrow down the cause of the problem and will be trying other clients to make sure my instance isn't the issue. I'm writing this from Eternity (Nightly).

I don't want to use a USB, what's a quick and secure way to get data from a phone to a computer? They can be on the same WiFi network

I recently switched from a pixel 6 to a fairphone 5. There was stuff like a smart screenshot (which worked half the time) and the ability to select text most of the time. The fairphone doesnt have that, and i wonder if its a first party google feature, or if theres a different rom i should use.

I know a lot of people like this feature, which i can understand, but i think it is annoying as hell to have yet another thing popping up in my screen i didn't ask for...

Edit: turning off animations in developer settings also turns off the animation of the pop-up. Still not ideal, but might be a little more 'bearable' for some...

So I have a debate in my head right now about how I should handle devices stored unattended in vehicles. The criteria:

• Devices have new versions of Android
• Pass phrases or many-digit pins are used
• Biometric login is set up (but can't be used in Lockdown Mode)
• Have Bitwarden installed with biometric auth for the vault
• Has SSH keys on the device

I'm not worried about nation state attacks, but am considering the vector of a tech savy thief, and want to keep SSH keys and other device data secure. Assume they cannot be stored in a vault.

Is storing the phones on but in Lockdown mode enough, or should I turn them off completely? Off would be super annoying to wait for boot every time, but I'm not totally sure how KEK works for an encrypted device with biometrics set up but in Lockdown Mode where they are disabled.

Hello! Does anyone has any recommendations for a to-do list app? I would like one that had a widget for the home screen, that shows my tasks or reminders, so I can see them every time. Not to be confused with a widget to write a note. It doesn't needs to be open-source, but that would be very appreciated. Thanks for the help.

If the court ended up forcing Google to sell Android, shouldn't we worry that its license as an open source project could be removed and then it become proprietary?

I currently use Joplin but I find it's a bit too over-engineered with many features I don't use. For me the best note taking app would:

• Be FOSS
• Sync over NextCloud / webDAV
• Support kind of formatting (markdown for example)
• Have ability to create check box lists
• Be lightweight and fast to open
• Have ability to set remainders and alarms (if possible)
• [if possible] as either a windows desktop client or a web client or interface to access notes from work

Now depending on how I like the software, I may change a bit my habits and drop some of those requirements if the soft please me and I find workaround or drop the feature (for example an automated backup can replace NextCloud stuff and I don't use that much the work computer to access notes, so if it's good and I can share the note manually by mail or so, I can live with it).

So feel free to share what you use.

so instead of placing my google accounts on my android phone, can i just use them directly from the browsers i use?? i know i wouldn't be able to use google play but i mean i have aurora store. would this be usable in the long-term?? a good way of using an android phone?

i know some parts of it are proprietary and you need google services for it to work properly but if you don't need any of that and only rely on say fdroid apps and just use it without a google account and all of those things could android still be considered that?? i like android so much and i think it's an amazing fully american operating system, great!! so technically it is? and i know about grapheneos and other roms but what about stock android? stock android is still mostly open source and free (well gratis), and linux

I wanted to install a few PWAs in my private space but the option for installation or shortcut creation isn't there on the same websites where it appears in the normal installation of the browser app. Is this a limitation strictly related to the private space?

Have searched about it on the net and have seen that WPA2/WPA3 is recommended, in the case of older devices n IoT. I normally use the hotspot to share internet to other devices. They're not too old and I don't use IoT devices.

Would choosing WPA3 be better/faster for my case? Did not see much info on that or benchmarks about it? Saw somewhere that WPA3 has more overhead because of greater encryption, but would plain WPA3 be better than the default WPA2/WPA3?

Thanks in advance

EDIT 4 - FINAL EDIT - Dec 3: I'm marking this issue Resolved now that it's been about a week since I've last had this issue. Thanks to all who chimed in in the comments.

EDIT 3 - Nov 26: It's working again as of this morning, so what I've observed over the last week is that it intermittently stops working in the afternoons when I want to actually use it, then magically starts working again when I test it in the mornings. This on again, off again is driving me mad. Does anyone have any idea why it stops working at random points throughout the day and then starts working again in the mornings? Sigh...

EDIT 2 - Nov 25: Aaaand it's stopped working again. 😢 Double checked the mic availability in quick settings, restarted my device, no dice. When I tested this morning, it worked, but whenever I want to actually use it, it doesn't work—so frustrating. If anyone has any ideas what could cause intermittently stop transcribing, I would greatly appreciate it.

EDIT 1 - Nov 25: I tested this morning, and it's working again. I don't know what changed—I'm still on the same build of GrapheneOS, same version of Sayboard, etc. As far as I can tell, the issue has magically resolved itself. I'm happy that I have voice transcription again, and by troubleshooting I learned some things about my device along the way, so I'll take the W. Thanks to everyone who chimed in.

ORIGINAL ISSUE: New-ish Android user here. About a week ago, I installed Sayboard through the Neo Store and started using it to transcribe voice to text in the default Messaging app in GrapheneOS. It worked flawlessly for a couple days; however, within the last day or two, it has just magically stopped working. I cannot get Sayboard to transcribe anything. I've tested with FUTO, same issue.

I initially posted a detailed issue on Sayboard's GitHub, then I tried FUTO and experienced the issue there as well, so now I realize it seems to be more of an issue with my device's configuration. For the life of me, I cannot figure out what it could be.

Does anyone have any other ideas I might try? More details below...

What I've tried so far:

• I've double checked app permissions - Sayboard has permission to record audio.
• I've checked for app updates - I'm using the latest version of Sayboard (v4.2.1).
• I've tested in multiple apps - for example, the Messaging app, Mull web browser, and Markor text editor.
• I've confirmed the issue is not with the mic itself. For example, I can record audio in the Camera app.
• I've searched the internet for grapheneos voice input not working, which does not yield any useful results.

Steps to reproduce the issue:

1. Open the Messaging app.
2. Tap any conversation.
3. Tap to put cursor in text field, which brings up the keyboard.
4. Tap mic icon in top right corner of keyboard, which brings up the Sayboard interface w/ the word "Ready" below the outlined mic icon.
5. Tap the outlined mic icon. The mic icon changes from outlined to solid, and the text changes from "Ready" to "Say something." A little green bubble also appears in the top right of my screen indicating that my mic is in use.
6. Speak some words.

Observed behavior:

I've tried the same steps w/ Sayboard and FUTO and gotten the same result - nothing gets transcribed.

Expected behavior:

My spoken words should be transcribed into the text box.

About my system:

• GrapheneOS stable release channel (currently build 2024111800).
• Pixel 7a

Thank you!

My phone is not that good for running games, if I'm at full ultra graphics or the bare minimum it's always at the same frame rate, but when I receive notifications every game I'm playing gets 60+fps it doesn't matter the graphics or the game

Hey lemmy people,

I recently got a s24+ and I'm looking for a 45w charger brick to get the full speed. Seems like that not every brick charges the phone at 45w. So can I you help me? Thanks!

Ps: I don't want the official Samsung one :))

Hey folks

I’ve been using Crunchyroll regularly for a couple of months with a paid membership, but I ran into some serious playback issues after a recent update. I reached out to their support, and they said a fix would be in the next update, but that didn’t help at all. After dealing with the problems for a while, I ended up canceling my membership since I couldn’t enjoy the service anymore.

I’m on a FairPhone 4 running Lineage OS 21, and while I don’t have other streaming apps to test, YouTube and NewPipe are working fine. I’ve tried other players like AniLab, but I’d rather pay for the content I love.

I also checked the LineageOS settings for anything related to DRM content, but I couldn’t find anything.

Has anyone else faced similar issues or found a workaround? I’d really appreciate any tips or advice! Thanks!

Background:

I've recently gotten a new (used) Pixel 7a—upgraded from an iPhone X.

Problem:

I must have short thumbs or something because on my new Android phone, I'm constantly having to swipe multiple times for a gesture to "take." For example, swiping up to unlock or get to home, swiping left/right to cycle through image carousels in the app store—in all use cases, the screen starts sliding over, but when I lift my thumb off the screen, about 50% of the time, the screen slides back to its original position instead of sliding the rest of the way to the next screen.

I understand the need for a threshold to prevent accidental swipes; however, the native swipe lengths are just a wee bit too long for me, and the constant need to swipe multiple times to do what I want is significantly affecting my overall experience. I never had this problem on any of my iPhones.

What I've tried so far:

• I've poked around in the Settings and done a few internet searches. Came across this Google forums thread from 2018, to which the only reply was essentially tough rocks.
• In another post, I received the advice that I don’t need long gestures if I make them faster, and I have noticed different results depending on the speed of my flicks, but still find myself having to make multiple flicks to get it to do what I want. Somebody else suggested reducing the “Window Animation” or the “Transition Animation” speed (in developer settings), but alas, there are no such settings in GrapheneOS (I tried the search bar).
• I've installed an alternate app launcher (PieLauncher), but this is only a partial band-aid solution. I still have the issue w/ left/right swipes on image carousels.

I'll keep exploring apps that allow me to customize gestures, but has anyone else had this problem, and how did you solve it? Or if anyone has any suggestions for apps available in the F-Droid store that might help with this problem, I'd appreciate it. Thank you!

I went to install gsam battery monitor on a new phone and it looks like it has been delisted recently.

Does anyone has more info on that? It was a staple on my phones since almost a decade...

Any alternative that shows a graph with rate of charge/discharge?

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/46066494

> I followed the recommended processes for adding images to my app, and it is being displayed correctly on the layout preview, but not at all on the app. I have vector assets, webp, png images, but none are being displayed. > > The project is too big to put here in its entirety, but please ask for any snippets that could help you solve the issue. I've tried searching the web and asking LLMs and neither could help, so please help me, fellow humans.

I bought a refurbished pixel 7 in europe. I assumed it was the european version (GVU6C).

I tested it and it appeared functional in all functions, so i released the escrow to the seller.

Now because I don't trust the software hasn't been tampered, I wanted to clean it with flash.android.com but... can't because it can't unlock the bootloader (even if i connect to internet and call the code ##2432546## to get the "checkin requested" from google play services)

It looks like i have the model GQML3 for Verizon which can't be bootloader unlocked. FUCK! I especially bought this because it can unlock the bootloader...

Anyway.... about restoring the original software....

Phone says "phone is with latest update installed" with android 14 and security update from 5 june 2024.

Can I flash the full image for android 15 with october security update or i risk a brick? Do I need to wait for the lazy fucks at verizon to "certify" the android 15 update? Those fuckers take ages to "certify" the updates...

I am currently using an S9 with /e/OS, and I'm thinking about upgrading next year, since the battery is starting to act up.

Are there any phones released in the past few years that are a decent upgrade and that support a privacy-oriented ROM?

I can go up to 500USD, but I live in a 3rd world country, so Fairphones, Pixels, and some other phones aren't available here.

Thank you in advance!

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/21146609

> cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/21145878 > > > Basically one day all of a sudden I lost all mobile network, can't receive SMS, calls, etc, can't use mobile data, nothing. > > > > I own a > > Xiaomi Redmi 12 > > OS version 1.0.7.0.UMXMIXM > > Android version 14 UP1A.231005.007 > > > > I've tried going into the setting mobile network and disabling automatic connection and trying to connect manually but it doesn't let me connect

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/21015575

> Hackers Keyboard has that via ctrl+z, but only in horizontal mode. For this only i had my Galaxy S3 in horizontal per default. But can't do that with modern phones' aspect ratio and i'm missing undo since then.

cross-posted from: https://lemy.lol/post/31616900

I currently have an iPhone 14 Pro Max and I want to switch to an Android phone.

First of all, I eliminated all Chinese phones. Since Samsung has limited custom rom support, I gave up on that too. At the end, I decided to get a Pixel because of its GrapheneOS support.

But right now I'm stuck between Pixel 8 and 9. There's a big price difference with small improvements. I can afford both but not sure if Pixel 9 is worth it. What do you think?

The phone models shouldn't matter should they? One is on Android 11 and the other is on 13. I can only get them to connect for about a second, then the connection drops out. And yes, they're right next to each other.

And where the hell am I supposed to enter the 'pairing code' thing? No entry box pops up on either device..

You can't remove things from it, you cannot rearrange it... Useless things and suggestions get stuck at the top.

I'm on Android 13. Have they made any improvements in the newer versions of Android?

I accidentally all Gboard layouts and can’t enter my password anymore. I do have some other keyboard apps, but they don’t load immediately after booting. adb shows no devices, probably need to unlock and allow USB debugging… I thought about connecting a hardware keyboard. How would that work?

I bought a galaxy Tab a7 lite at an estate sale place. Tried to set it up, but it's locked out of resetting without a password which unfortunately died with it's previous owner. I called samsung, who told me I need to find someone to do a factory reset bypass.

I don't want to use it as a phone, just as a tablet.

I did some reading online and looked at some software supposedly meant for the purpose, but no luck.

Any advice out there?

I will be recieving a gastric surgery somewhere in the future. After which, I am to follow a strict schedule for eating and drinking. I looked at a lot of routine apps, and tasker apps. But they all lack the flexibility I need. Or I am just missing it.

Why I need it: my life does not fit a daily or weekly strict schedule. It is quite dynamic when my day actually starts and varies month by month.

If I have to move the tasks or alarms manually every time, I know I won't be able to stick to it.

If I have to manage a massive list of routines for any possible starting time. I will probably overwhelm myself and abandon the schedule.

What I need:

• Able to set a day spanning routine, that can be started at any time.
• Have an alarm that can be snoozed, and will also push all next task with the same amount.
• Be able to trigger a task early, and push all next event forward by the same time.
• Have a buy-once option
• Nice to have: wearos support

I am about to investigate how to make this myself. But I would suspect someone already made this.

Thank you for reading, and your time.

Q: Is it still possible to have "Web & App Activity" turned off, but also have history of previously searched places in Google Maps?

This was possible until recently (Pixel 8), and came back this week for a few days, but now my history is empty again with a button trying to get me to turn on privacy cancer.

(Yes I use OSMAnd and Organic Maps when I can already.)

It shows up every time I dismiss or switch apps and displays over other stuff that might be more relevant. Any way to turn it off?

I need to ask a small favor from the good people of Lemdro.id Community.

In short, I accidentally wiped the metadata partition on my Poco F3 and now I can't boot into the OS and access my data. I have a lot of pictures, videos and other stuff that I would hate to lose, because of a mistake. But all that is still on the phone, I just can't boot the phone to access it.

Thankfully, there is a way to fix this by creating a full backup of the phone with adb, then using a HEX Editor to manually look through that gigantic file and try to find the files that were in that metadata partition.

A huge thanks to bluet33th, a user from XDA Forums, without whom I would be helpless and couldn't do any of this. It might be a bit complicated and manual process, but it is possible. He explained everything in great detail here, so check it out, especially if you are facing the same problem, this will help you tremendously: https://xdaforums.com/t/how-to-recover-data-if-metadata-partition-was-deleted.4686789/

In order to find these files and put them back where they belong, I need your help, because I have to know their names, exact sizes and at least part of their content, so that I can search for it. Because I'm searching for a specific text in a text file that is 128 GB in size.

I have already tried this on another Xiaomi phone, to make sure this procedure works on Xiaomi phones and it does, but that phone had HyperOS with Android 14 and since every phone and android version is probably different, in order to be sure, I need this information specifically for Poco F3 with Android 13.

It doesn't take long, but if you don't have the time to look inside your metadata partition and tell me which files are inside of that partition and their sizes in bytes, you can just make a backup of the metadata partition and sent it to me, and I'll do the rest of the work.

Here are the steps on how to create a backup:

1. Turn on your phone and boot into TWRP, then connect your phone to a PC, type cmd inside Windows search and run cmd, then position cmd into your platform-tools folder (if you flashed your ROM, you should already have the necessary drivers installed for the next steps to work). For example, if your platform-tools folder on Windows is inside C:\platform-tools, all you need to type into cmd is: cd C:\platform-tools

You can also just go inside your platform-tools folder and type cmd in the address bar and the cmd will start already positioned inside that folder.

2. Then type adb devices and you should see your device, if you do, that means that all the drivers are successfully installed and your phone is detected. !

3. Type adb pull /dev/block/by-name/metadata !

4. After that, you should see a file named metadata inside C:\platform-tools. That is the file that I'm looking for and as you can see, it takes just a few minutes to get it.

You can skip the next steps (5 and 6), but I'll explain them, just in case someone wants to extract these files for themselves, so that you have them in case something like this happens to you. Of course, you can also proceed to extract the files and tell me their names and sizes.

Here is what you need to do:

5. Extract the content of the metadata file, you can use a software like 7-Zip. Go inside that extracted folder, then into vold > metadata_encryption > key

6. Inside of that key folder, you should see a few files. These are the important files and save them somewhere safe in case you ever need them. Since I don't have them anymore, in order to recreate them, I need to know their exact names and sizes in bytes. You can check the size of every individual file by right clicking on the file and choosing Properties. Then look under Size, not Size on disk, and in parenthesis, you should see the size in bytes. !

Please, if you could check the size of every file and write down which file has what size. I would really appreciate it.

I'm specifically looking for someone who has a Poco F3 with Android 13 and MIUI, because I'm not sure if HyperOS changed something, so maybe the number of files or their size is different. But feel free to post the information even if you have HyperOS, but please mention that, so that I am aware of it.

Thanks a lot for your help, it really means a great deal.

I'm considering stock pixel 9, but I was wondering if anyone had specific critiques of Gemini's privacy.

I use LLM bots frequently, but am a bit hesitant to let one take over my phone.

In light of what's happened to Durov and possibly seeing Telegram compromised, I'm doubling my efforts to find a new main messenger. Before you start, not Signal as it's a bad fit for the needs of me, my family and friends.

So what do I need?

• The ability to run on multiple devices. Me, my family and friends all have multiple Android devices.
• The ability to run on desktop. Linux and Windows.
• Built in sticker repository. What can I say, I like to lazy flirt.
• Animated Emoji. I like my messenger experience vibrant.
• Material You. Again with the vibrancy, but also, it's a sign of modernity.
• Phone number linking. My family and friends are lazy as hell.
• Synchronized chats. I don't mind self hosting a bridge, but the ability to see messages on multiple devices is a must.
• Voice Messages
• Video Calls
• Group Video Calls
• Stories integrated into as first class citizens
• Private. If you suggest WhatsApp, I'm assuming you're either stupid or a troll.

Can anyone recommend anything?

So i have really been contemplating rooting my Pixel to gain more control over the android OS. I know this comes with risks and if your not carefully one can brick their phone.

I have already been able to decentralize myself from googles stock Android OS with out root by side loading Graphene OS on to my device which has worked out great.

Just wanted to get some input on whether it's worth the hassle to reflash a factory android is by google just to root the phone, then proceed with installing another non Google android os once again.

Input from anyone with more knowledge than mW regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated.

I currently use a Pixel 7 Pro with GrapheneOS and I really enjoy the experience. I have a Surface Pro 7+ with Linux on it that I use from the couch. It's a bit bulky and I've found myself gravitating more to the Android UI anyhow. I'm looking into either getting the Pixel Fold or the Pixel Tablet, both of which are supported by GrapheneOS.

The bulk of my usage would be mobile games (including emulation through Lemuroid), books and magazines through Libby/Librera, and the occasional video content. I'd like to bring it with me on the go.

I was initially going to get a tablet and dock but the fold looked interesting. My reservations about the fold are the internal screen life and how apps behave on the internal screens. Surely being a moving part is going to decrease its lifespan, plus screen protectors and cases seem like they would be difficult. Are there cases for those phones? I always put a screen protector and case on my devices. How do apps behave in full screen on the fold? Do they have black bars if it's not big enough or does it get stuck to one side?

Thanks!

I know the title may sound a bit misleading, but this is my situation: I'm interested in using a custom launcher on my device, but the problem is that there's this option to "Pause app" that I want to use to prevent some apps from using my battery or getting my location or something, but I can't do that on custom launchers (for obvious reasons). Does this thing actually works or there isn't any actual difference?

Recently, I came across an article talking about hardware security features in android. It was talking about radio HAL versions.

I wanted to see which version is present on my android 14 device.

The article in question: https://security.googleblog.com/2024/08/keeping-your-android-device-safe-from.html