Lost history

[Les.]

Tamara has a 10″ android tablet. No apps installed, just as supplied. She uses the stock browser to read Russian books online. She switches on, opens the browser, and picks up where she left off, I assume using the History function.

But it has disappeared. This happened a few months ago, but then she remembered the book title and author, so found it again. This time she can’t remember, so it must be my fault.

Please help, URGENTLY, to preserve MY sanity.

Les.

[Tippon]

Did either of you set up the browser with a Google account when you first got it? If so, the history may be available through Google. Give this link a try if you remember any login details:

https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity

[Les.]

It seems there is another problem. At the login screen, it keeps flashing and rebuilding itself. No attempt to enter a PW works. It looks as if something bigger is going on. I think the next step is a factory reset. Of course, whilst that will delete stuff, if google do have the stuff, that should be there. I think permission required before I do a reset!

I copied your link onto my (Linux) PC, but once more google appeared to ME in Russian. I guess at some point, Tamara has logged in on my PC, so google defaults me to Russian. Damn and Blast!

Les.

[The Duke]

If it’s a chi tablet, I’d have to guess the included browser would be the stock AOSP browser named ‘browser’, there is no way to retired lost history.

It’s mist likely as you say the tablet keeps “rebuilding itself” that the cache is being wiped, it’s somthing you needed to do when you flash a rom, to make sure it’s all cleaned out before the new rom is booted. I’d have to presume the tablet is cleaning it’s own cache to try and preserve itself, before rebuild (installing) it’d own os.

So you’ll be right in thinking there is something more going on.

It sounds to me you need a full factory restore, if that doesn’t help, you may need to find the original rom and re flash it. If it’s an obscure tablet, it could be quite a hard process.

Either way I think the history has gone forever. When I you get it up and running or get a new one, install chrome as it automatically saves all history, to your Google cloud, so she can jump on any chrome browser (or os) and simply find what she needs. I’d imagine Firefox and oprea mobile browser do this too, but you’d need to check.

[Les.]

Duke, yes, a chi tablet. It is an Allwinner A64 quad core. I have found the little pinhole which I assume is for factory reset. It seems to do a reboot, but nothing else.

A google search has little to say on the A64, but some other Allwinners appear to need a software reboot, which right now is over my head.

The browser is just “Browser”, so probably the AOSP as you suggest, all of which leaves me no wiser.

Les.

[The Duke]

If you can noot into the os, you can do a factory reset from in the main setting menu. It will either be under ‘storage’, ‘security’ or have its own tab. It seems to move location on each os update.

If you cant get into the os, you can do a reset from what you would call androids bios menu (the boot menu or recovery) . This you get to by turning the device fully off and holding a combation of the buttons for 10 to 20 seconds. Again this combo different from decide to device. The most common is holding power and volume down together.

If this doesn’t work hold power and volume up. Failing this hold power and both volume – and +.

One of them methods should work. If your phone had a physical home button, you may have to do some trail and error holding that if the 3 methods I mentioned above don’t work.

If all else fails then you can fall back and do it via a windows cmd. You’ll need to visit xda forums for a detailed tutorial for that.

[Les.]

Sorted. There was a quite simple “Boot options” or something similar in the settings, one of which was factory reset. It is now once more a virgin Chi-tablet. I will need to reinstall her details (Skype etc. whether or not she can find her history remains to be seen, but I think she has come to terms with not finding it.

[The Duke]

Put on a decent browser like chrome of FF and sign into it for her. And keep her password safe for her.

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