17 Android tips and tricks for every user

Android is a great mobile operating system because it is straightforward and user-friendly right out of the box. However, the Android operating system offers a mind-blowing amount of customization and options for those willing to put in the time and effort. Because of its adaptability, Android is the ideal mobile operating system for both novice and experienced users.

The best Android hints and techniques are provided in this book to help you operate your smartphone like an expert. Because we made these suggestions platform-neutral, you may apply them to the greatest Android devices from any manufacturer.

• Modify the default apps

Changing the default apps on your new Android smartphone should be one of your first actions. All major smartphone manufacturers often include default mail and browser apps, although the majority of them fall short of expectations. For instance, the default messaging app on Samsung smartphones is the inferior Samsung Messages, which is not on par with Google Messages. Like Samsung Internet, Google Chrome is a superior browser.

Additionally, you might want to use your own browser, SMS, and mail software over the ones your smartphone’s manufacturer has pre-installed.

Android makes it simple for you to replace the pre-installed apps with the ones you prefer. Go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps and select the desired apps to replace the Android’s default apps.

• Use icon packs and launchers from third parties.

The ability to customise the Android operating system is one of the features that people enjoy. Almost every aspect of an Android phone’s default launcher may be changed, and most manufacturers let you use custom icon packs to change the app icons. Use third-party launchers, though, if your phone doesn’t support this or you prefer a different design. 

There are a ton of third-party app launchers available in the Play Store that will let you customise your Android phone as you like. The Niagara launcher is among the best you can use if you desire simplicity. Hyperion Launcher is the launcher for you if you like theming. And the traditional Nova launcher is always a good choice. You can check out our list of the top Android launchers to determine which is the finest.

Check out the finest custom icon packs for Android to further customise your device. These symbol packs come in a variety of styles, from the simplistic to the garish. They will assist you in entirely changing your Android device’s appearance.

• Modify the language of the app

Users have always had the option to set their phone’s display language to their native tongue when using Android. Google advances this with the Android 13 release by enabling users to modify the display language for individual apps. That implies that you can leave your phone’s user interface (UI) configured to English while switching some apps to your native tongue. It is a revolutionary feature for multilingual individuals.

Open the Settings app and navigate to System > Languages & Input > App Languages to change an app’s language. If you’ve added numerous languages to your device, the App Languages option will only be available. Additionally, this feature needs to be supported by app developers, so it can take some time before your favourite app supports your regional tongue.

• Make the fast settings your own

The greatest spot to rapidly access key settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Battery Saver, and more on an Android device is the fast settings page. Android offers numerous quick setting toggles now after many years. To find the desired setting, you might have to swipe through several pages. You may customise Android’s Quick Settings screen to arrange the toggles however you like. Swipe down twice to access the quick settings page, then hit the Edit button to alter it. The tiles can then be rearranged by holding and dragging them.

• Use widgets to access information quickly

Glanceable information can be displayed quickly thanks to Android widgets. The majority of the top Android apps support widgets, which let you show data like calendar events, tasks, notes, weather, time, and more. If you don’t want to continually open apps to see information like your upcoming appointment, use widgets.

Long-press the home screen on your Android device and select Widgets from the menu that appears. The list of apps on your phone that support widgets will be visible. Touch and hold a widget to add it to the home screen, and tap an app to see all the widget possibilities. The widgets can also be moved around and resized.

• Configure Quick Tap to carry out swift activities

You are passing on a fun trick if you own a Google Pixel phone and are not using the Quick Tap feature. You can snap screenshots, play and stop media, display notifications, launch Google Assistant, and more using the Quick Tap function. On a Pixel 4a or later smartphone, open the Settings app and select System > Gestures > Quick Tap to initiate actions to enable this function.

• Learn how to use the Google Assistant

Spend some time understanding the ins and outs of Google Assistant if you want to elevate your Android experience. With the help of Google Assistant, you can search information, play music, make calls, send messages, manage your devices and smart home appliances, establish routines, and much more.

Start by using the voice command “Hey Google” and asking it to perform your desired actions. You’ll observe that Google Assistant usually completes the duties.

• Set the notification history to on

We’ve all accidentally deleted notifications, and that can be annoying. The built-in notification history function of Android records every notification you get. Use this function to keep track of all your alerts if you have one of the most recent Android smartphones because it was added with the Android 11 release. Open the Settings app on your smartphone to activate notification history. Next, activate the Use notification history toggle by going to Notifications > Notification history. Now that you can examine your notification history if you unintentionally clear a notification by tapping the History button.

• Turn off grating app notifications

Even while Android manages and displays alerts better than the iPhone, the notification screen occasionally becomes overloaded with too many entries. The primary offenders are applications that saturate you with pointless notifications, such gaming apps. With Android, you can turn off these notifications for each individual app.

From the Settings app or the notification panel, you may turn off app notifications. Long-pressing on a notice will display the notification management options, which may be used to quiet app notifications through the notification panel. Next, decide whether to mute or turn off notifications.

To manage notifications for all the apps, navigate to Settings > Notifications > App Settings. Using the notification channels feature of Android, you can also control the kind of alerts that an app can deliver. You can block marketing and promotion notifications with notification channels while still receiving crucial messages like order updates.

• Activate Find My Device

Similar to how iOS’s Find My feature helps you locate a misplaced iPhone, Android’s Find My Device function does the same. This function allows you to ring your smartphone even when it is in silent mode in addition to helping you locate it. You can use this practical feature to locate your lost smartphone inside your house.

Additionally, you can lock your smartphone, sign out of everything, and delete all of its contents using the Find My smartphone tool. Your data is kept safe even if your smartphone is stolen thanks to this feature. Open the Settings app to enable this feature. 

• To access your Android from a Windows PC, use the Phone Link app.

The Apple ecosystem, which supports the iPhone, is one of the factors contributing to its popularity. If you have both a Mac and an iPhone, you can sync everything between the two devices, respond to messages from your Mac, and more. For a very long time, Android smartphones lacked this substitute. The strong integration of Android with Windows PC through the Phone Link software is altering that.

On a Windows PC, you can view your images, get notifications, make calls, and react to messages with the Phone Link app. Use your Android apps on your Windows computer to get capabilities like cross-device copy-paste, file sharing, and app mirroring.

• Install programs that are not from the Google Play Store

The Google Play Store is the ideal location to download apps for your Android device, but it’s not the only one. Due to the strict guidelines or developer preferences of the Google Play Store, many useful apps are not available there. Android does, however, let you download apps from outside sources. The APK files for apps can be downloaded from the internet and installed on an Android device without any problems. We advise using reputable Google Play Store alternatives like Amazon Appstore and APK Mirror to identify the programs you want to install in order to be sure they are secure.

• Uninstall bloatware

The Google Pixel phones provide a clean user experience with less bloatware, but other OEM partners fall short in this regard. Each Android OEM includes a number of apps with its phone that you might not wish to use. These apps occupy space on your phone, generate pointless notifications, and may use data and power in the background.

Remove these apps from your Android device to prevent them from consuming all of the system resources on your phone. Read our article on uninstalling Samsung apps from your phone if you have a Samsung device. Similar to this, a quick Google search will yield instructions on how to remove bloatware from your smartphone.

• Rapid-fire camera

One of the most popular apps on smartphones is the camera. Learn how to quickly activate the camera on your phone so you don’t miss out on capturing the special moments in your life. On most devices, including Pixels, OnePlus, and Samsung, you may double-click the power button to start the camera. To take pictures or start a video recording when the camera is open, hit the volume up or down key long enough.

• Android photo password protection

On occasion, we take pictures of private occasions that we don’t want to show everyone. The easiest approach to protect these images is to store them inside a vault with a password. Go to Library > Utilities in Google Photos and configure the Locked Folder. Additionally, you can make a locked folder to house your private images and files using the Secure Folder feature on Samsung Galaxy phones. This function may be found in the Settings app’s Biometrics and security section.

• To restrict access to your phone, use an app pinning

There are occasions when you must give someone your phone. To stop them from spying on you, you can use Android’s app pinning function. In Android, when you pin an app, you are only able to utilise that app and cannot launch any other apps.

Go to Settings > Security > App pinning and turn on the Use app pinning option to enable this function on your Android phone. Open the recent apps menu and press the app icon to pin it. Now select Pin to save the app.

• Turning off your phone requires a password

There are various features available on Samsung’s OneUI that are absent from stock Android. The Secure Lock function, which asks for a password when you wish to switch off your device, is one of our favourite features. This useful function makes sure that no one may turn off your phone without your permission. If your phone is stolen, the thief won’t be able to switch it off, and you may use the Find My Device tool to locate it.

When you enable Find My Device, the feature is activated by default. If it’s not working, turn on the Lock network and security toggle under Settings > Lock Screen > Secure lock settings.