25 Useful Android Tips And Tricks You Should Know

Android is the most famous computing platform in the world, due in massive phase to its effective open-source nature. Users have grown to love Android for the plethora of facets and customization options, however on occasion it can all get a bit confusing. Google is usually making tweaks and coming up with new aspects for Android, and OEMs like Samsung and LG can add their very own stuff on pinnacle of that. It can be challenging to hold up, so we’ve gathered the 25 first-rate hints for your Android telephone proper here.

1. Configure Your Lock Screen

Android telephones all provide a range of types of tightly closed lock screens. Most telephones will immediate you to do this throughout setup now, and you should. The defaults are password, PIN, and pattern. Most gadgets now provide fingerprint safety which will in all likelihood be the quickest way to free up your device. To manipulate your lock screen, head to the machine settings, and locate the Security menu. Some telephones have a separate lock display menu instead. You will want to have a impenetrable lock display to use facets like Android Pay and manufacturing facility reset protection.

2. Disable/Uninstall Bloatware

Most telephones come with some apps pre-installed that you won’t favor to hold around. Fortunately, these days they can be dealt with. Some pre-installed bloat can be uninstalled typically by way of the usage of the Play Store or discovering it in the app settings menu. However, whatever that’s phase of the machine picture is non-removable. What you can do is disable it by means of opening the app menu from the principal machine settings and discovering the app in your list. Right at the pinnacle will be a “Disable” button that gets rid of it from your app drawer and prevents it from jogging in the background.

3. Find Your Phone

We have all every so often misplaced song of a phone. Maybe it used to be hiding in the sofa cushions or sitting on the kitchen counter. Don’t go loopy searching for your telephone subsequent time; simply use Google’s “Find my phone” device (previously acknowledged as Android Device Manager). You can get right of entry to this with the aid of the net on a cellular machine or computer. Simply log into your Google account, and select your lacking cellphone from the drop-down menu. Google reaches out and indicates you the place it is. You can additionally ring the phone, even if it’s in silent mode. If worse comes to worst, you can remotely erase the cellphone to guard your data.

4. Add Mobile Data Tracking

Data caps are frequent throughout cellular carriers, and statistics prices simply preserve getting faster. To make certain you don’t blow via your month-to-month allotment, go to the information utilization menu in the device settings. Some telephones name this some thing a little different, however it’s constantly proper close to the top. Here, you can set your layout reset date, create a warning threshold, and even have information routinely disabled when you’re about to incur an overage. If that’s no longer to your liking, Google has an app in the Play Store known as Datally (pictured). It collects records from the settings menu, and it can restrict historical past facts with a nifty floating counter to tune your bytes.

5. Choose Do Not Disturb Settings

Android’s notification settings are a bit puzzling proper now. Not solely do OEMs regularly exchange the terminology, however Google itself has revamped it a few instances in current updates. You’ll discover the settings for this function both in your quantity popup when you hit the toggle or with the aid of going into the machine settings for notifications (usually Sound and Notification). It will be referred to as Do Not Disturb on most devices. In this menu, you can select when DND is toggled on automatically, what is blocked, and if any contacts are allowed to ring thru anyway. On Pie devices, Do Not Disturb also hide your notifications by default. Make certain to trade that putting if you nevertheless choose to see what’s going on in the notification shade.

6. Digital Wellbeing

Maybe you spend too a good deal time on your smartphone sometimes, however Android has some equipment to assist you keep away from that. The Digital Wellbeing suite (Android 9 and later) suggests you what apps you’ve been using, for how long, and gives methods to end that from happening. The settings menu breaks down apps on a chart, and lets you set a time restriction for apps you desire to reduce back. Tracks and unlocks chart notifications There’s additionally a “Wind down” mode that slowly fades the display screen to grayscale as bedtime approaches.

7. Make Sure Your Photos Back Up Automatically

There’s nothing worse than dropping or breaking a smartphone solely to recognise your snap shots aren’t backed up. You can keep away from this by using actually opening the Google Photos app and following the prompts to allow auto-backup. The default mode is “high quality” and limitless space. This compresses your photos, however they seem to be extraordinarily good. If you favor to retailer the authentic image, you can decide to use your Drive storage space. You get 15GB free and can purchase more.

8. “OK Google” Voice Match

Google search is at the coronary heart of all Android phones, and you can begin looking at any time simply via pronouncing “OK Google.” This works on the domestic display and in the search container automatically, however if you go into the search settings, you can get OK Google working everywhere. In the search settings, go to Voice > Voice Match. Just turn on the “Access with Voice Match” alternative and the cellphone will have you say “OK Google” a few instances to examine your voice. Now you can use the hotword any time the machine is wide awake from any screen. Some units additionally help this when the display is off, whilst others solely work when the gadget is awake.

9. Try a Different Home Screen

Most Android gadgets have a customized UI created through the gadget maker (eg. Samsung Experience launcher). That consists of the domestic screen. This is an vital section of the experience, and the default domestic frequently isn’t very powerful. Installing an choice like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher can make your system a great deal less complicated to use. You can use these apps to alternate the icons, assign navigation gestures, arrange apps, and so a great deal more. Any time you prefer to exchange between your mounted domestic screens, simply go to the Home menu in the gadget settings.

10. Google Assistant

Did you set up OK Google? If so, you’ve bought two approaches to get right of entry to the Google Assistant. To get right of entry to Assistant, use OK Google or long-press the domestic button. Then, simply begin talking. This characteristic used to be distinct to the Pixel for a few months, however it has given that rolled out to all Android telephones walking Marshmallow or higher. Assistant is familiar with extra context and herbal language than Google’s ancient voice search feature, and it can be built-in with third-party offerings like IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings, and Nest. It’s wonderful at domestic automation and looking out the web, and it can even examine you the information of the day.

11. Manage Apps on the Web Play Store

Google consists of the Play Store customer on Android devices, however there’s additionally a model of the Play Store reachable online. For some people, this is a no-brainer, however no longer everybody thinks to use the web-based Play Store. You can do all the identical matters right here that you do on your phone, however faster. Apps and video games can be bought and pushed over the air to Android. You can queue up a couple of installs in a fraction of the time it takes on Android. If you’ve received extra than one system on your account, you can choose the place the app goes.

12. Use Screen Pinning

If you want to hand your telephone to anyone else, you don’t always choose them snooping round in different apps. This is handy to forestall — simply pin the screen. This need to be enabled with the aid of default on most devices, however if it’s not, take a look at the safety menu. Tap the app icon on any app in the multitasking interface and you can choose to stop to switch to application "Pin". If you have a impervious lock screen, you can require that liberate technique to go away the pinned app.

13. Swipe Input on the Keyboard (most devices)

Tapping with your thumbs is k as an enter method, however most telephones have swipe enter built-in too. Give it a shot by way of dragging throughout the letters for every word. The accuracy varies via device, however you can additionally set up a exceptional keyboard that would possibly go well with you better. There’s Google’s Gboard, however others pick some thing like SwitfKey with its plethora of settings.

14. Use Power-Saving Modes

All Android telephones have power-saving modes of some type — on occasion two or three of them. Head to the battery menu (usually simply Settings > Battery) on most telephones to see these settings. For example, Samsung gives a ordinary power-saving mode that reduces display brightness and slows the CPU, then there’s additionally an extremely energy saver that locks the machine to simply a few fundamental applications. Most phones, like these from Google, provide fundamental energy saving modes like the former that can be grew to become on routinely when the machine reaches a positive battery percent. This is absolutely something you ought to set up.

15. System Dark Theme

A lot of apps (particularly Google’s) have vivid white styles. Starting in Android 10, there’s a system-wide darkish theme that can toggle these apps and components of the gadget UI to a nice, muted black. It’s accessible in the Display settings or greater effortlessly in the speedy settings. Some telephones additionally have choices to time table the darkish theme so it flips on mechanically each and every night time and off in the morning. Only apps that have been developed for the theming API will work, however that listing is developing through the day.

16. Manage Default Apps

Many moves on Android will ask you to set a default app, however what if you figure out you don’t like that default anymore? Most telephones nowadays have a devoted default app settings menu in the software settings, however you can continually clear out these defaults with the aid of discovering your default apps in the major app settings menu. When you appear at the data web page for an app, there will be an alternative towards the backside to view and clear the defaults. That will let you pick a new default the subsequent time you function an action.

17. Turn on Developer Options

Google hides some of the greater superior equipment in a different Developer Options menu that you’ll have to allow to get at matters like animation speed, USB debugging, and app standby. To flip on Developer Options, open the “About phone” menu at the backside of the device settings and discover the construct number. Tap on that seven instances and you’ll get a message that you are a developer. The dev selections will now be at the backside of your predominant machine settings.

18. Rotation Lock Button

Rotation lock can be a bit touchy, flipping the display screen round when you tilt the telephone simply a little too far. In Android 9 Pie, you can alternate the rotation placing to lock it in portrait mode however nonetheless have get admission to to panorama mode. Start by using disabling auto-rotate in the settings. Then, appear for the rotation button at the backside of the display the subsequent time you flip the telephone sideways. Tap on it, and it gets locked in panorama mode as long as you do not spin back to the smartphone. Tap the button again, and it’s locked in portrait again.

19. Autofill Service

If you’ve received Android eight or greater on your phone, you don’t have to kind in a password ever again. Well you have to reduce it. Visit your enter settings and open the superior menu to allow autofill for usernames and passwords. By default, you can allow Google’s autofill service, which is tied to Chrome. Third-party apps like LastPass and Dashlane additionally have help for this feature. Just faucet in a login subject in surely any app, and your autofill app can add the matching username and password.

20. Screencasting

Do you have a $35 Chromecast or Android TV? If so, you can do extra than movement video to it. Android gadgets can reflect the whole show onto your TV, and it’s in reality foolproof. On inventory Android units (and a few more) there is a Cast icon in the Quick Settings. Tap that and choose an output system to begin mirroring your display. On different phones, simply down load the Chromecast app and use the screencasting characteristic blanketed there.

21. Notification Channels

Starting in Android eight Oreo, Google made it less difficult to reduce down on the notification noise. Apps now have notification channels, so you can exchange how their quite a number signals show up (and whether or not they show up at all). To edit a notification channel, go to the app’s information display screen or long-press on a notification and faucet the settings tools to see all the related channels. On Android 10, you can tap the "Turn off notifications" option to get a popup with handy channels. Here, you can flip every channel on or off, exchange the way it appears, and more.

22. Customize Quick Settings

The rapid settings are the settings toggles seen at the pinnacle of the notification panel (most devices) and in the totally multiplied rapid settings UI. On most devices, you can get admission to them by means of swiping down twice. Customizing these is some thing every person need to do when getting a new device, and the method is a lot greater constant than it used to be. Google introduced customizable rapid settings in Android 7.0, and OEMs frequently add a few greater choices to this vicinity (like Samsung, above). Just open the rapid settings and hit the edit button. Then, drag it to press for a long time and rearrange. The first few settings toggles you have in the listing will be reachable at the pinnacle of the notification pane prior to opening rapid settings. App builders can additionally add tiles that exhibit up in the modifying interface. For example, Twitter apps have tiles to begin a new Tweet and VPN apps have on/off toggles.

23. Use (and Remove) Factory Reset Protection

Way lower back in model 5.1, Android brought manufacturing unit reset protection, which is high-quality need to your telephone ever be stolen. The thief won’t be capable to reset and log into the telephone besides first understanding your Google password. However, you may additionally by accident lock the new proprietor out of your telephone (or even yourself) if you promote it. Factory reset safety is enabled routinely when you have a tightly closed lock display screen enabled. Make positive you don’t reset your cellphone much less than 24 hours after altering your Google password, or you’ll set off a 72-hour anti-theft lockout. To disable reset safety for a new person to log into the phone, simply disable the invulnerable lock screen, allow OEM free up in the Developer Options, or manually dispose of your Google account in the Accounts menu (this additionally manufacturing unit resets the phone).

24. Sideload (Safe) Apps

The Play Store has lots of apps, however if you choose to department out a little, there are secure approaches to do that. First, head into the protection settings on your system and allow “Unknown Sources.” That will let you deploy APKs downloaded from outdoor the Play Store. Some of the famous ones are the Amazon Appstore, F-Droid, and APK Mirror. Amazon gives a honest variety of paid apps for free, and F-Droid is for free and open-source software. APK Mirror re-hosts free APKs so you don’t have to wait on staged rollouts and can get historical variations of software.

25. Save Offline Maps

Google Maps consists of aid for saving maps offline, and the function used to be lately elevated to be extra powerful. It’s no longer handy to find, though. Find the vicinity you prefer to store offline, then faucet in the search bar at the pinnacle of the screen. Close the keyboard and scroll to the backside and you’ll see the alternative to download. The app will deliver up an define to point out the vicinity that will be downloaded and estimate how lots house it will take up. The offline facts will consist of streets, fundamental factors of interest, and the capacity to use turn-by-turn navigation.