Apple had a headstart in the smartphone era, but Android immediately found a best speed and became rapidly the most notable computing platform all around the world — more noteworthy than iOS, obviously, but also outperforming Windows and macOS. Google is continually making changes and thinking of new features for Android, and OEMs like Samsung and OnePlus can remember their stuff for top of that.
Android is a remarkably powerful, creative mobile operating system that regularly jumps Apple’s iOS in innovation support. That state-of-the-art functionality makes for a complicated, sprawling operating system. At the surface level, the interface is simple enough for daily clients who simply need to message, make calls, and use applications, but hidden a layer or two somewhere down at the point of interaction are power-user-friendly settings and devices. You simply have to know where to look.
We want you should use Google’s mobile operating system like a champ, and list of Android shortcuts and ideas can assist you with doing exactly that. These are just a portion of the ways of using Android; the operating system has such a deep feature that you’ll most likely see more.
Best tips and tricks to make your Android more useful
1. Enable Find My Device
One of the important things we suggest doing on a brand-new phone is double-checking if Find My Device is enabled.
Find My Device is a robust arrangement from Google for tracking and controlling your phone when it gets lost or stolen. You should enable the component ahead of time, which is the reason this is our first tip.
Take this moment to proceed to check if Find My Device is enabled on your phone. Go to Settings > Google > Find My Device, and guarantee it is enabled on your phone. In the coming time, Google will also supercharge the Find My Device network by allowing Android phones to find one another.
2. Uninstall Applications You Don’t Use
Most Android phones come with a healthy helping of preinstalled applications. Many will be welcomed by almost everybody — maps, email, programs, etc — but there are surely some you don’t need or want. If you’re simply not a podcast individual, you don’t need a podcast application. What’s more, phone vendors will generally include a bunch of their applications that you may never need to use. Simply long-press an application’s icon and, then select the Application Info entry to get to its detail page where you can uninstall it.
Unfortunately, there are some stock applications you can’t uninstall. For example, if you just use Firefox or Edge as your internet browser, you actually can’t uninstall Google’s Chrome program. For those applications, you can choose Disable, which will hide them from the interface and free up system resources.
3. Use Digital Wellbeing Features
It’s not the healthiest thing in the world to stay up all night messaging and doomscrolling. Android’s Sleep time mode is part of Google’s Digital Wellbeing initiative. Not only does it silence your phone at a set time, but it also changes the screen to grayscale, in case you should check out the screen after hours. You can also swap to Dark Theme during Sleep time mode, or just outright set your phone screen dark and enjoy some peace. There’s a Pause choice in the dropdown menu if you need additional time before retiring. If you’re looking for more sleep tips, you should read our feature on how tech can help (and hurt) your rest.
Another recommended Wellbeing feature is Focus mode, which silences noisy applications’ notifications for an allocated time frame that you plan. Some phones, including recent Pixels and Motorolas, turn on Don’t Disturb mode when you put them down with the screen facing down — a speedy and simple method for getting relief from disturbances. At long last, using Work Profile hides all those productivity applications when it’s time to relax.
4. Set up Your Phone Application on Windows
We suspect that most people who use Mac desktops or laptops are also most likely using an iPhone, which offers a terrific combination with macOS. However, with the Phone Link application for Windows, Android clients can get just as much continuity with their personal computers — perhaps even more. Beginning arrangements from your PC is the most straightforward. Go to Setting > Phone > Add a Phone, and you’re making excellent progress so far. You’ll have the option to make calls, send messages, and quickly see and use photographs from the phone on your PC.
Recent Samsung devices and the Surface Duo phone get many more possibilities with the Link to Windows choice, including running various Android applications on the desktop in the Your phone application. If you’re not running Windows, you can get Android messages on the web — one more capacity annoyingly not offered by Apple’s mobile operating system. You can also run Android applications in an emulator on one or the other Windows or macOS, but that route is not as convenient as Windows 10’s Your Phone.
5. Pick Do Not Disturb Mode
You can constantly switch off your ringer, but Don’t Disturb can dispose of distractions. Android’s DND settings are a bit confusing. Not only do OEMs sometimes change the terminology, but the actual settings are frequently covered or hidden by default. You’ll find the settings for this component in your volume spring-up when you hit the switch or by going into the system Notification settings. In this menu, you can pick when DND is toggled on naturally, what is blocked, and if any contacts can ring through at any rate. On Android 9 and later devices, Don’t Disturb also defaults to hiding your notifications. Make a point to change that setting to see what’s happening in the notification shade.
6. Ensure Your Photographs Back Up Automatically
There’s nothing worse than losing or breaking a phone just to realize you’ve also lost your digital memories. You can keep away from this by opening the Google Photographs application and following the prompts to enable auto-backup. The default mode is “original quality,” but you can change to “high quality,” which packs your photographs slightly to save space. You get 15GB free, and that should be acceptable for periodic shutterbugs who are light on video and don’t store a great deal of information in Drive. If you shoot a lot, you’ll go through that 15GB of account-level capacity, but Google will happily sell you more.
7. Alter your Quick Toggles
While many individuals know about customizing the launcher experience on Android, insufficient individuals have trouble setting up their Quick Toggles. One of those more modest changes will repetitively affect your general phone use and experience.
The first few icons in your Quick Toggles should constantly be your most toggled icons, as that will assist you with keeping away from a double swipe to grow the speedy toggles. Samsung Galaxy phones show six fast switches in the notification shade, while Google Pixel phones display just four. So set it up as needs be and save yourself valuable seconds consistently.
To customize Quick Toggles, swipe down on your notification shade to open the fast toggles and find and snap the pencil icon. As mentioned, your frequently toggled settings should be up top, while you can remove the settings that you rarely toggle for a clean and uncluttered experience.
8. Users Profiles are great for work-life Separation
Android has supported client profiles for quite a while, but this feature normally flies under the radar for most people. If you have a lot of work applications on your phone, you can try out a dedicated client profile for your work applications. This assists with work-life separation if your phone doesn’t have specific work-life modes.
If you share your phone for different purposes and screen pinning isn’t helpful, you can also try out the guest profiles. However, guest profiles don’t check out on phones as they are significantly more personal. Guest and different client profiles make a lot of sense on tablets and shared devices.
9. Notification History monitors every one of the notifications that arrive
Have you ever swiped away a notification by force of habit and considered what precisely you swiped away?
You need to activate the feature first before you can use it. But once you activate it, your phone will keep a log of every notification that shows up. You can check the notification history when you need to identify what notification was swiped away.
To activate the feature:
• On Samsung Galaxy phones: Settings > Notifications > High level settings > Notification history.
• On Google Pixel telephones: Settings > Notifications > Notification history.
10. Use Third-party launchers and icon packs
One reason why users adore the Android working system is its adaptability. The default launcher on an Android phone allows you to alter nearly every little thing about it, with most brands allowing you to use custom icon packs to modify the application symbols. In any case, if your phone doesn’t support this or you want an alternate look, use outsider launchers.
The Play Store is brimming with third-party application launchers, allowing you to modify your Android phone how you really want. If you need effortlessness, the Niagara launcher is one of the best ones you can use. If you are into theming, Hyperion launcher is for you. Furthermore, you can never go wrong with the classic Nova launcher. We incorporated a list of the best Android launchers, which you can check out to view as the best one.
To take customization to a higher level, look at the best custom icon packs for Android. These symbol packs range from minimal to skeuomorphic to over the top. They will assist you with completely overhauling the appearance of your Android device.
Read more: Best Ways to Run Android Apps on Your PC for Free
11. Customize the Quick settings
The quick settings page in Android is the best spot to rapidly get to helpful setting like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Battery Saver, and more. Throughout the long term, Android has added many quick setting flips. That implies you could need to swipe through various pages to get to the setting you need. Android allows you to edit the Fast Settings page with the goal that you can coordinate the toggles according to your necessities. To customize it, swipe down two times to reveal the fast settings page and tap the Edit button. Then, hold and drag on the tiles to rearrange them.
12. Use widgets for glanceable data
Android widgets make it simple to show glanceable data. The greater part of the best Android applications supports widgets, allowing you to show data like schedule occasions, assignments, notes, climate, clock, and more. Use widgets if you would rather not continue to open applications to see things like your next arrangement.
To include a widget on your Android home screen, long-press on the home screen and pick the Widget choice. You will see the list of applications on your phone that support widgets. Tap an application to reveal every one of the widget choices, and touch and hold a widget to add it to the home screen. You can also drag and resize the widgets.
13. Use Screen Pinning
If you want to hand your phone to someone else and don’t need them snooping around in different applications essentially pin the screen. If this isn’t enabled by default, you can turn it on in the Security menu. Tap the application symbol on any application in the performing multiple tasks interface and select “Pin” to keep them from switching applications. You can protect switching applications by requiring your phone PIN. Note that the application icon in the application switching view also allows you to split the screen, stop the application’s notification, and see its data.
14. Personalize Language on a Per-Application Basis
With Android 13, multilingual Android clients can set their preferred language on a for-each-application basis. To choose your preferred language Go to Settings > System > Languages and Input. Select Application Languages and pick the application you wish to change. You can also find this component in the Applications settings (go to Settings > Applications). Select the application you need to change, then, at that point, select Language. This feature isn’t widespread, mind you; designers should select it.
15. Set up Quick Tap to perform speedy actions
If you use a Google Pixel phone and are not using the Quick Tap feature, you’re passing up a cool trick. The Quick Tap feature allows you to take screen captures, play and pause media, show notifications, open Google Assistant, and more. To enable this feature on a Pixel 4a or later device, Open the Settings application and Go to System > Signals > Quick Tap to begin activities.
On this page, you’ll see the different actions you can execute by twofold tapping the back of the phone. If you updated your phone to Android 13, you could use this feature to turn on the flashlight.
To get quick tap activities or use this feature on non-Pixel devices, use a third-party utility called TapTap. You can download the application from GitHub and follow the moves to install and use the application on your device.
16. Silence irritating application notifications
While Android is in front of the iPhone with regards to managing and showing notifications, the notification panel gets stopped up with such a large number of entries occasionally. The main culprits are applications, (for example, gaming applications) that bombard you with meaningless notifications. Android allows you to silence these notifications on a for-every-application basis.
You can silence application notifications from the notification board or the Settings application. If you want to silence application notifications using the notification panel, long-press on a notification management choice. Then, at that point, decide to silence or turn off notifications.
17. Root Your Cell phone
If you have an older device, you cannot revive to the latest operating system or may have to wait until your carrier gives an update, which can be seemingly forever after it’s released.
One of the advantages of rooting a phone is that you can refresh the operating system and access new features without going through your carrier. Different advantages include the capacity to remove built-in applications, access features blocked by the transporter, and more. Rooting Android devices can be tricky but may be worth the effort.
18. Use the Built-in File Manager
If you moved up to Android Marshmallow, you could get to a built-in file manager. Already, a third-party application should have been downloaded to oversee device records. To see your documents, go to the storage and USB segment of the device settings. There you can see how much space is left, view all the applications installed on your device, and copy documents to the cloud.
19. Let Autocorrect Work for You, Not Against You
When you send texts, emails, and different messages from your cell phone, it’s frustrating to get slowed down by typos and inaccurate autocorrects. Save time, frustration, and embarrassment by modifying your autocorrect dictionary and overseeing settings. Or attempt a third-party keyboard to check whether its autocorrect functionality works better for you.
20. Take Security Seriously
Android cell phones are prone to security flaws, so it’s vital to be knowledgeable and to use good sense. Try not to click links or open connections from unknown senders and update your device with the latest security patches.
Set up the Find My Device to lock your device remotely, track its location, or wipe it clean if you lose it. You can also encrypt your device for the highest level of protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What are a few general ways to make my Android phone more useful?
A: The tips to make android phone more useful are:
• Customize your phone: Make your phone feel like yours by customizing the home screen, backdrop, ringtones, and notifications.
• Use a launcher: A launcher can replace your phone’s default home screen and give you more choices for customization.
• Get Organized: Use applications like Google Keep or Evernote to monitor your notes, tasks, and updates.
• Take advantage of Google Assistant: Google Assistant can assist you with various tasks, from setting alarms to making calls to finding data.
• Use cloud storage: Cloud storage can help you back up your information and access it from any place.
Q2: What are a few specific ways to make my Android phone more proficient?
A: The following are a few specific tips:
• Close applications you’re not using: Numerous applications keep on running in the background when you’re not using the applications. This can drain your battery and go through your information.
• Use battery saver mode: Battery saver mode can assist you with expanding your battery duration by restricting background activity and limiting specific features.
• Disable bloatware: Bloatware is pre-installed software that you may not want or need. Disabling bloatware can free up storage and further develop performance.
• Keep your apps updated: Keep your applications updated with further improving performance and security.
• Use a lightweight browser: A lightweight program can assist you with saving information and further develop browsing performance.
Q3: What are a few ways to make my Android phone safer?
A: The following are a couple of tips:
• Set a strong lock screen: A strong lock screen can assist with protecting your phone from unapproved access.
• Install a security application: A security application can assist with protecting your phone from malware and different threats.
• Be careful about what applications you install: Just install applications from trusted sources.
• Keep Software Mobile Updated: Updated Mobile software can help with fixing security vulnerabilities.
• Use VPN: A VPN can assist with protecting your privacy while you’re using the web.
Q4: What are a few ways to make my Android phone more fun?
A: The following are a few tips:
• Download games: There are a large number of great games available for Android.
• Stream music and movies: Various applications that let you stream music and movies on your phone.
• Read e-books: Various applications let you read e-books on your phone.
• Take photographs and videos: Android phones have incredible cameras that can take amazing photographs and videos.
• Share your photographs and videos: Offer your photographs and recordings to your friends via social media.
Q5: How can I further improve phone’s battery duration?
A: To upgrade battery timing, change settings, for example, screen brightness, turn off background applications, disable location services while not being used, and use a battery-saving mode.
Q6: What are some ways to increase phone storage?
A: Clear unnecessary applications and information, move photographs and videos to cloud storage or an external device, and consistently erase temporary documents and caches.
Q7: Any tips for improving phone security?
A: Use strong passwords or biometric confirmation, consistently update your phone’s operating system and applications, be wary of downloading applications from unknown resources, and consider using a reputable antivirus application.
Q8: How can I organize my applications for improved productivity?
A: Gather similar applications into folders, prioritize frequently used applications on the home screen, and use features like application drawers or search capabilities to rapidly get to less frequently used applications.
Q9: What are some efficient ways to manage notifications?
A: Customize notification settings for each application, focus on significant notifications and consider using ‘Don’t Disturb’ mode during specific hours.
Q10: How can I make my phone more user-friendly?
A: Customize settings, for example, font size, display brightness, and accessibility features to suit your preferences. Also, explore gesture controls or third-party launcher applications for personalized insight.
Q11: Any suggestions for optimizing phone performance?
A: Consistently update your phone’s software, clear cache and unnecessary files, limit background processes, and restart your phone occasionally to refresh its performance.
Q12: How do I make the most of my phone’s camera?
A: Familiarize yourself with camera settings and features, explore photography applications for editing, and practice different shooting procedures to improve your photography abilities.
Q13: How can I do to protect my phone from physical harm?
A: Use a protective case and screen defender, try not to open it to extreme temperatures or water, and handle it with care to prevent drops or accidents.
Q14: Any tips for reducing data usage?
A: Connect to Wi-Fi whenever possible, monitor information use in settings, disable auto-play for videos via social media applications, and restrict information used for certain applications.
