The 25 Best Android Tricks to Make Your Phone More Useful:

 The 25 Best Android Tricks to Make Your Phone More Useful:

Although Apple may have started the smartphone revolution, Google has seen it through to its logical conclusion. Android has surpassed Windows and macOS to become the most widely used computing platform in the world, topping iOS, of course. This is mostly because of its potent open-source nature. Android is likewise a strong platform, although occasionally it may all be a little complicated. Android is always getting updated by Google with new features, and OEMs like Samsung and OnePlus may add their own features on top of that. It might be challenging to stay up, so we've compiled the top 25 Android phone tips right here.

Adapt your lock screen:

All Android smartphones include a variety of safe lock screens. Now that most phones encourage you to do this step during setup, you should. The password, pattern, and PIN are the defaults. The majority of smartphones now include fingerprint security, which is likely to be the quickest method of device unlocking. Navigate to the system settings and select the Security option to modify your lock screen. Instead, some phones offer a unique lock screen menu. To access features like Android Pay and factory reset protection, you'll need a secure lock screen.

Block/remove bloatware:

Most phones have certain pre-installed apps that you shouldn't leave around. Fortunately, they are now manageable. Some pre-installed bloat may be manually removed by visiting the Play Store or looking for it in the menu of the app. Everything that is a part of the system image, however, cannot be removed. You may disable it by going to the main system settings, accessing the app menu, and selecting the

app from your list. There will be a "Disable" button right at the top, which will take it out of your app drawer and stop it from operating in the background.

Find Your Phone:

Every now and again, everyone has misplaced a phone. Perhaps it was residing on the kitchen counter or concealed among the couch cushions. Use Google's "Find my device" feature instead of spending hours hunting for your phone the next time (previously known as the Android Device Manager). This is accessible online using a computer or mobile device. To find your lost phone, simply sign into your Google account and choose it from the drop-down box. Google reaches out and directs you to the location. Even when the phone is in silent mode, you may still ring it. In case of emergency, you may re

Choose the Do Not Disturb mode:

Currently, Android's notification settings are a little unclear. In addition to OEMs often updating the nomenclature, Google has also made a few changes in recent versions. The settings for this function may be found in the volume popup that appears when you turn it on or in the system settings for notifications (usually Sound and Notification). On most smartphones, it will be referred to as "Do Not Disturb. Choose what is blocked, when DND is toggled on automatically, and if any contacts are permitted to ring through while being blocked in this option. Do Not Disturb also by default hides your notifications on Pie-based smartphones. If you want to see what's going on, make sure you adjust that setting.

a chat window:

You are well-liked, aren't you? It could be difficult to keep up with all the messages that you're receiving from friends, acquaintances, and well-wishers. Do not fret, as Android version 11 supports Chat Bubbles. Earlier versions were supposed to include this functionality, but it was ultimately postponed. The main idea is that you don't have to keep everything in the notification shade; instead, chat applications can pop up little bubbles for each conversation thread. They resemble the chat heads on Facebook, but they work with nearly any programme. This function, which you can enable under the notification settings on most phones, must be enabled.

Online Wellbeing:

Android provides certain capabilities to assist you avoid using your phone for excessive amounts of time. The Digital Wellbeing suite (Android 9 and later) provides strategies to avoid this by showing you which applications you've been using and for how long. You may set a time restriction for any apps you want to use less frequently via the settings menu, which organises apps on a chart. The chart also keeps track of alerts and unlocks. Additionally, there is a "Wind down" feature that gradually turns the screen to grayscale as you get closer to bedtim.

Make sure a backup of your images is made: automatically.

Nothing is worse than breaking or losing a phone and discovering that your images aren't backed up. Simply launch the Google Photos app and follow the instructions to activate auto-backup to avoid this. Unlimited space and "high quality" are the default settings. Your images are compressed as a result, yet they still appear remarkably excellent. Use the available storage on your computer if you wish to save the original image. You are given 15GB for free and have the option to purchase additional.

Matching "OK Google" Voice:

All Android phones are powered by Google search, which you may access at any moment by saying "OK Google. By going into the search settings, you can get OK Google to function anywhere in addition to the home screen and search box. Go to Voice > Voice Match in the search preferences. Simply enable "Access with Voice Match" on the phone, and it will ask you to say "OK Google" a few times so it can recognise your voice. Now, you may use the word from any screen and whenever the device is awake. While some gadgets only function when the device is awake, others support this even when the screen is off.

Alternate Your Home Screen:

The device maker typically creates a unique user interface for most Android devices (e.g., the Samsung Experience launcher). That also applies to the home screen. The default house is frequently not particularly powerful, and this is a crucial aspect of the experience. Your smartphone can be considerably easier to operate if an alternative, such as Nova Launcher or Action Launcher, is installed. These programmes allow you to organise your apps, modify the icons, give navigation gestures, and do so much more. Simply navigate to the Home menu in the system settings whenever you wish to switch between your installed home screens.

Internet Assistant:

Have you configured OK Google? If so, you have two options for getting to the Google Assistant. Use OK Google or long-press the home button to get to the Assistant. then simply begin speaking. For a short while, this function was available only on the Pixel, but it is now available on all Android devices running Marshmallow or above. In comparison to Google's previous voice search function, Google Assistant understands more context and natural language, and it can be coupled with other services like IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings, and Nest. It works well for web searches and home automation, and it can even read you the day's news.

On the Web Play Store, apps may be controlled:

On Android devices, Google preinstalls the Play Store client, but there is also an online version of the store. While to some this may seem apparent, not everyone thinks about using the web-based Play Store. Everything you can do on your phone is also possible here, just much more quickly. Android smartphones may receive over-the-air updates with new apps and games. In a fraction of the time it takes on Android, you can queue up many installations. You can choose where the app is installed if your account has access to many devices.

Notification History:

Because Android makes it so simple to prioritise your alerts, you occasionally risk mistakenly swiping something away. You can always look up the contents of a notice if you have notification history enabled. This functionality is deactivated by default for privacy concerns. You should be able to enable this function in the Notifications settings menu as long as your device is protected with a lock screen option. You may access that menu at any moment and find the most recently deleted notifications there. The alerts from the last two days are organised below by app. Be careful that some of those lists may take some time to load and may temporarily cause your device to hang. Additionally, the single functional variation of.

Swipe the Keyboard to Enter Data (most devices):

While using your thumbs to tap is OK, most smartphones also feature swipe input capabilities. Drag the letters for each word to see how it works. The accuracy differs depending on the device, however you may install an alternative keyboard that could be more comfortable for you. While SwitKey has a wide range of options, some people prefer Google's Gboard.

While using your thumbs to tap is OK, most smartphones also feature swipe input capabilities. Drag the letters for each word to see how it works. The accuracy differs depending on the device, however you may install an alternative keyboard that could be more comfortable for you. There is Google's Gboard, but some people prefer the numerous customizations of Swi tfKey.

Utilize power-saving settings:

All Android phones feature at least one power-saving mode, and some even have two or three. On most phones, you can find these options by going to the battery menu (often just Settings > Battery). For instance, Samsung has a standard power-saving mode that dims the screen and speeds up the CPU, as well as an ultra power saver that restricts the device to only a few crucial apps. The majority of phones, including those made by Google, have simple power-saving modes like the first, which may be activated automatically when the battery level of the device drops. You should surely set up this situation.

Dark Theme: The System:

Many applications (especially Google's) use stark white design elements. With Android 10, a system-wide dark theme is available that may change the colour of those applications and specific areas of the system UI to a lovely, subdued black. It may be found under the quick settings or, more easily, the display settings. Additionally, some phones allow you to set the dark theme so that it automatically turns on at night and turns off in the morning. Only applications created specifically for the new API will function, however this list is expanding daily.

Manage the default apps:

Many Android operations will prompt you to select a default app, but what if you change your mind? The application settings menu on most modern phones has a specific default app settings menu, but you can always remove the defaults by locating your default applications in the main app settings menu. The option to examine and clear the defaults will be located at the bottom of the information page for an app. The following time you do an action, you can choose a different default thanks to this.

Make Developer Options active:

To access features like animation speed, USB debugging, and app standby, you must activate a specific Developer Options menu that Google has set up. Open the "About Phone" option in the system settings and look for the build number to enable Developer Options. You will get a notification indicating that you are a developer after tapping it seven times. Your main system settings will now have the development choices at the bottom.

rotating lock button:

When you tilt the phone just a little bit too much, rotation lock can be a little delicate, turning the screen around. You may modify the rotation setting on Android 9 Pie and later to lock it in portrait mode while maintaining access to landscape mode. To begin, turn off auto-rotate in the settings. Next time you tilt the phone, check for the rotation button at the bottom of the screen. When you tap it, the phone will remain in landscape mode until you turn it back. When you tap the button one more, it locks back into portrait mode.

Service for autofill:

You won't ever need to enter a password again if your phone runs Android 8.0 or above. So you won't have to do it as much. To activate autofill for usernames and passwords, go to your input preferences and enter the advanced option. You may enable Google's autofill service, which is connected to Chrome, by default. This capability is supported by third-party programmes like Dashlane and LastPass as well. Almost any app's login field only requires a single tap to add the correct username and password thanks to your autofill app.

Do you screencast?

Do you own a Chromecast or an Android TV? Do you screencast? If so, you are able to do more with it than merely stream videos. Android devices can virtually flawlessly mirror the full display onto your TV. On Pixels and a few other Android smartphones that resemble stock Android devices, there is a Cast icon under the Quick Settings. Select an output device by tapping it to begin mirroring your display. The screencasting feature in the Google Home app may be used on other smartphones and will show on the website for any compatible Chromecast or smart display.

Alerting Mechanisms:

With the release of Android 8.0 Oreo, Google made it simpler to reduce notification noise. Now that apps have notification channels, you may customise how each of their alerts appears (and whether they appear at all). Go to the app's details screen to change a notification channel, or long-press a notice to reveal all the connected channels, then hit the settings gear. You can obtain a popup with available channels by tapping the "Turn off notifications" option on Android 10. Each channel may be turned on or off, its appearance can be altered, and more here.

Individualize Quick Settings:

On most devices, the fast settings toggles are located at the top of the notification panel and in the fully extended quick settings user interface. You can get to them simply swiping down twice on the majority of smartphones. When purchasing a new gadget, everyone should customise it, and doing so now is lot easier than it formerly was. In Android 7.0, Google provided customisable quick settings, and OEMs frequently add a few additional choices to this section (like Samsung, above). Simply click the edit button after opening the quick settings. To organise, long-press and drag. Prior to entering fast settings, the top of the notification pane will have access to the first five settings toggles you have in the list.

Utilize Factory Reset Protection (and remove it):

Android first incorporated factory reset protection in version 5.1, which is handy if your phone is ever stolen. Without your Google password, the burglar won't be able to reset and log into the phone. If you sell your phone, you might unintentionally lock out the buyer (or even yourself). When a secure lock screen is enabled, factory reset protection is immediately activated. If you reset your phone before 24 hours have passed since updating your Google password, a 72-hour anti-theft lockout will be triggered. Simply turn off the secure lock screen or activate OEM unlock in the settings to remove reset protection so a new user may get into the phone.

(Safe) Sideload Apps:

There are many apps in the Play Store, but if you want to try something different, there are secure methods to accomplish it. First, activate "Unknown Sources" in your device's security settings. This will enable you to install APKs that you have downloaded from sources other than the Play Store. The Amazon Appstore, F-Droid, and APK Mirror are three of the most well-known ones. F-Droid is a platform for free and open-source software, and Amazon offers a good number of commercial apps for free. You may download outdated versions of software without having to wait for staged rollouts thanks to APK Mirror's re-hosting of free APKs.

Sideload Apps (Safely):

There are many of apps in the Play Store, but there are safe ways to explore something new if you'd like. First, turn on "Unknown Sources" in the security settings of your device. Consequently, you will be able to install APKs that you have obtained from locations other than the Play Store. Three of the more well-known ones are APK Mirror, F-Droid, and the Amazon Appstore. Amazon provides a considerable number of paid apps for free, while F-Droid is a marketplace for free and open-source software. Thanks to APK Mirror's re-hosting of free APKs, you may download out-of-date versions of software without having to wait for staged rollouts.