The Android Thread

[Sazzy]

Might be cool to make an android tv out of it?

[anon]

I guess, with a Bluetooth keyboard or something like that. If performance inside a VM was also good, it would be tempting to have Spotify mods, offline maps and perhaps Signal (all of which have no Windows equivalent I know of) on the desktop, but I have very little use for a second computer running Android exclusively.

I was thinking of showing the laptop to my mom next time she visits and seeing how well she can use it, like a social experiment

[Sazzy]

Doesn't signal and others need an actual phone number? I'd love to use the service but I don't want to use my number. That defeats the purpose as we are no longer allowed to have anonymous numbers in my country

[anon]

Doesn't signal and others need an actual phone number?

I'm afraid so. Their server only sees a hash of it, but others still need to have your number to talk, of course.

Silence is a fork that offers end-to-end encryption for SMS, it could be situationally useful.

we are no longer allowed to have anonymous numbers in my country

Same here, but the registration system is a joke. I activated a line using a former president's name and national ID number just to see what happened - it still works. The funniest part is that this measure is supposed to prevent cell phone theft by allowing easy reporting and identification of stolen phones, but thieves can just "repair" the IMEI or sell them on neighboring countries.

[anon]

Today I tried Limbo, a port of QEMU to the Android system. My experience with QEMU told me I shouldn't attempt to virtualize anything more demanding than Windows 9x, and that was indeed the case. Performance was very low - it took around 40 minutes to finish Windows 95's installation phase (first screenshot), and them some 10 more for the post-install setup. Once it was finally installed, there were noticeable delays in all operations. However, all of this is to be expected from emulating a completely different processor and instruction set on software, and on a low-end phone to boot.

Sound was laggy to the point of unusability, but their wiki lists that as a known bug. I didn't try networking, but apparently only NAT is available unless you can root and install a TAP adapter on the host. And if you can somehow compile an Android kernel with KVM support and install it, that gives a significant speed boost.









In its current state, this is little more than a novelty, although I do admire and wish the best for current and future development. And if you have an uberphone or want to run something with very low hardware requirements (DOS, Tiny Core Linux), you may find it more useful than I did!

[anon]

Revised debloating script for the XT1528. With this, MTP works and apps don't crash when they attempt to talk to the WebView that wasn't there.

#!/system/bin/sh

echo Removing Verizon bloatware...
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motricity.verizon.ssodownloadable
pm uninstall --user 0 com.verizon.llkagent
pm uninstall --user 0 com.verizon.messaging.vzmsgs
pm uninstall --user 0 com.verizon.permissions.appdirectedsms
pm uninstall --user 0 com.verizon.permissions.vzwappapn
pm uninstall --user 0 com.vznavigator.Generic
pm uninstall --user 0 com.vzw.apnservice
pm uninstall --user 0 com.vzw.hss.myverizon

echo Removing Motorola bloatware...
echo
echo Make sure \"Motorola Device Policy\" is disabled under Device Administrators,
echo then press Enter to continue.
read
echo Uninstalling com.motorola.localwipe.policy...
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.localwipe.policy
echo Continuing...
pm uninstall --user 0 com.lmi.motorola.rescue
pm uninstall --user 0 com.lmi.motorola.rescuesecurity
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.actions
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.android.buacontactadapter
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.android.dm.service
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.android.jvtcmd
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.android.nativedropboxagent
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.android.provisioning
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.android.sdm.plugins.connmo
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.android.sdm.plugins.diagmon
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.android.settings.diag_mdlog
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.audioeffects
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.bach.modemstats
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.bodyguard
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.bug2go
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.camera
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.ccc.cce
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.ccc.checkin
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.ccc.devicemanagement
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.ccc.mainplm
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.ccc.notification
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.ccc.ota
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.contacts.preloadcontacts
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.dataoffloading
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.demomode
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.entitlement
# FM radio recording does not seem to be supported
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.fmrecording
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.genie
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.groundloopnoisepreventer
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.hotspotlauncher
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.launcherconfig
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.migrate
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.moodles
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.MotGallery2
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.motgeofencesvc
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.moto
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.motocare
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.motocare.internal
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.motocit
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.motodisplay
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.motodisplay.env
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.motosignature.app
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.nfcui
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.onetimeinitializer
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.pgmsystem2
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.programmenu
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.sensorhub.stml0.updater
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.setup
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.setupwizard.controller
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.setupwizard.devicesetup
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.setupwizard.phoneservice
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.slpc
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.slpc_sys
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.so
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.vzw.loader
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.vzw.phone.extensions
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.vzw.settings.extensions
pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.wappushsi

echo Removing Google bloatware...
echo
echo Make sure there are alternate launcher and keyboard apps installed,
echo then press Enter to continue.
read
echo Uninstalling com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox...
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
echo Uninstalling com.google.android.launcher...
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.launcher
echo Uninstalling com.google.android.inputmethod.latin...
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.inputmethod.latin
echo Continuing...
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.androidforwork
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.books
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.cloudprint
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.docs
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.docs.editors.docs
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.inputmethod.hindi
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.magazines
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.maps
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.apps.plus
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.backuptransport
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.calendar
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.configupdater
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.deskclock
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.email
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.feedback
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.gallery3d
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.gm
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.gm.exchange
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.gms
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.gsf
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.gsf.login
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.inputmethod.korean
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.inputmethod.pinyin
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.marvin.talkback
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.music
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.onetimeinitializer
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.partnersetup
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.play.games
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.setupwizard
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.street
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.syncadapters.contacts
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.talk
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.tts
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.videos
pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.youtube

echo Removing stock Android bloatware...
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.backupconfirm
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.bluetooth
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.browser.provider
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.captiveportallogin
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.cellbroadcastreceiver
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.certinstaller
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.chrome
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.contacts
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.dialer
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.dreams.basic
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.dreams.phototable
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.facelock
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.htmlviewer
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.inputdevices
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.keychain
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.location.fused
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.managedprovisioning
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.mms.service
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.pacprocessor
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.phone
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.printspooler
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.providers.calendar
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.providers.contacts
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.providers.downloads
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.providers.downloads.ui
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.providers.partnerbookmarks
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.providers.telephony
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.providers.userdictionary
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.proxyhandler
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.server.telecom
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.sharedstoragebackup
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.stk
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.vending
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.vpndialogs
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.wallpaper.livepicker
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.wallpapercropper
pm uninstall --user 0 com.customermobile.preload.vzw
pm uninstall --user 0 com.fusionone.android.sync.vzbuaclient
pm uninstall --user 0 com.gotv.nflgamecenter.us.lite
pm uninstall --user 0 com.hp.android.printservice
pm uninstall --user 0 com.qualcomm.atfwd
pm uninstall --user 0 com.qualcomm.location
pm uninstall --user 0 com.qualcomm.qcrilmsgtunnel
pm uninstall --user 0 com.qualcomm.timeservice
pm uninstall --user 0 jp.co.omronsoft.iwnnime.ml

# Apps that should remain after this, in the order they're visible under Settings -> Apps
# Don't uncomment these lines!
#pm uninstall --user 0 android					# Android System
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.webview		# Android System WebView
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.calculator2			# Calculator
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.documentsui			# Documents
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.externalstorage		# External Storage
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.fmplayer			# FM Radio
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.android.fmradio		# FMRadioService
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.providers.media		# Media Storage
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.defcontainer			# Package Access Helper
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.packageinstaller		# Package installer
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.settings			# Settings
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.providers.settings		# Settings Storage (DO NOT REMOVE!)
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.motorola.android.providers.settings	# Settings Storage (DO NOT REMOVE!)
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.shell			# Shell
#pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.systemui			# System UI

echo All done.
exit 0

Favorite apps so far:

Name	Internal name	Free software?	Notes
Audio Recorder	com.github.axet.audiorecorder	Yes	Highly configurable.
Hacker's Keyboard	org.pocketworkstation.pckeyboard	Yes	Has Ctrl, Alt and function keys, supports multiple languages, doesn't send what you write to Google to "improve the quality of our services"...
Lawnchair	ch.deletescape.lawnchair.plah	Yes	I was using Rootless Pixel Launcher before, but this is a lot more configurable and can set the wallpaper!
Material Files	me.zhanghai.android.files	Yes	Uses Linux system calls instead of screen scraping. Very fast and has everything I wanted.
MX Player Pro	com.mxtech.videoplayer.pro	No	None of the alternatives, free or propietary, are as good. There is a Lite mod that enables all paid features and removes advertisements, analytics and other things.
OpenCamera	net.sourceforge.opencamera	Yes	Highly configurable, supports HDR.
Simple Gallery Pro	com.simplemobiletools.gallery.pro	Yes	A very usable picture and video viewer that doesn't crash.
Terminal Emulator	com.termoneplus	Yes	This phone can't be rooted and each app runs in an isolated user account, but I thought this could still be useful.

[anon]

https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy

Remote desktop for Android, running over ADB (which can itself run over a network). It works very well and doesn't require root or installing a "server" app in advance. Potentially useful for phones with a broken screen, but the question is how do you enable ADB in that case...

[anon]

`adb exec-out' redirects the stdout and stderr of a command to the stdout of the adb process itself.

# Backup the contents of /sdcard/ to a local TAR
adb exec-out "tar c -C /sdcard/ . 2>/dev/null" >"C:\whatever\sdcard backup.tar"

busybox can be installed and used without root. Find the binary that matches your processor architecture, copy it to a subdirectory of /data/local/tmp/, chmod +x, run `busybox --install -s .' to create symlinks for all the applets, then put that directory first on your $PATH.

[anon]

Can anyone confirm the following commands work for disabling Bluetooth?

adb shell settings put global bluetooth_on 0
adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.BLUETOOTH_ENABLE --ez state false

[anon]

https://m.apkpure.com/null-keyboard/...m.nullkeyboard - Null keyboard. Saves screen space when you're using a physical one.

Total Commander has a free Android version, but I haven't tried it yet the interface doesn't convince me (even accounting for the fact you can't have an NC-style dual panel on a tiny portrait screen), but the file search and plugin support are great.

[anon]

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.jmstudios.redmoon/ - Free software no root blue light filter, for those whose firmware doesn't have one built in. Works as promised. Make sure to allow it to draw over other apps on Android 6+.