Extend battery life.
First, turn off Bluetooth, GPS (Settings > Location > switch to off *or* tap Mode > Battery saving), and sync for apps (Settings > Under “Accounts”
select which apps to stop syncing (Google, Facebook, and chat apps are
probably big culprits)). This will cut most of the battery drainage.
Next, go to
Settings >
Battery to see which apps are using most. It’ll probably be your screen or any app that requires GPS. Tap the app to “force stop.”
You can also see all apps that are currently running by going to
Settings and tapping the
Running section (for Moto X), then closing those apps.
If you’re really desperate, turn your brightness all the way down and turn off keyboard sound and vibration (
Settings >
Language & input > settings icon next to “
Google Keyboard” >
Preferences > unselect “
Sound on keypress”).
…or you could just buy a wallet that charges your phone, like
this ($80).
6. Zoom in on anything.
Nicole Nguyen / BuzzFeed
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Magnification gestures, and switch to on. Now, you can triple tap to magnify, use two-finger drag to pan and two-finger pinch to adjust zoom level.
7. Find your phone after it’s been lost or stolen.
Trust me: Don’t skip this tip — you’ll regret it!
Prey
(free; with pro version, $15 per month to protect 10 devices) is an app
that keeps track of your device’s location using GPS and Wi-Fi. It
detects changes in your SIM card and can access the front-facing camera
to snap a photo of the perpetrator.
You can also use
Android Device Manager which will remotely ring, lock, or erase a device. It requires some setup.
8. Install custom icon sets.
Look, Pokéballs!! Download a smilar icon pack
here and install it through any major app launcher (Nova, Apex, etc.).
You can find even more custom icon packs at
/r/androidthemes.
9. Restrict calls and texts to only very important people.
Android 5.0 Lollipop introduced “Priority mode,” a new feature that allows interruptions only from contacts you designate. Turn on Priority mode by pressing any volume button. Tap the settings gear to customize which calls and texts will go through.
10. Give friends access to your home’s Wi-Fi without dealing with passwords.
Use
this site
to generate a QR code for your Wi-Fi network. It will require the
network name, password, and network type. Print out the QR code and
attach it to your wall. Have Android friends scan the QR code to
automatically configure your Wi-Fi network’s settings on their phones.
BAM!
11. For Pete’s sake, download an app launcher!
Nicole Nguyen / BuzzFeed
App launchers will make your life infinitely better. The one demo’d here is
Nova Launcher
(free). Like many app launchers, you can customize shortcuts to
different apps so you don’t have to sift through six different
homescreens. So, on my phone, a tap on Google Maps will open the app,
while a swipe up opens Waze. You can do this with many related apps
(Google and Firefox, Dropbox and Drive, etc.).
(free) and
Apex Launcher are solid launcher options as well.
12. Unlock a hidden “Reader Mode” in Chrome.
This button makes it easier to read
articles on a smaller screen. In Chrome, type “Chrome://flags” in the
URL bar. Then in the main Menu, select “Find in page” and type “Reader Mode Toolbar icon.” Once you find it, enable the feature.
Then force-stop Chrome (
Settings >
Apps >
Chrome) and relaunch the app. Now, on select websites, you’ll see an “A” icon near the browser bar.
13. Identify which apps are slowing your phone down.
So this is a two-parter:
1. Enable Developer Options by going to
Settings >
About Phone >
Build Number. Tap on
Build Number a bunch of times, and you’ll see a prompt when it’s been enabled.
2. Go to
Settings >
Developer Options >
Process Stats.
There, you’ll find a ranking of which apps are using the most memory
(RAM). If your phone is being *super* s-l-o-w, quit the top shown here.
14. Did you know? One finger swipe down for notifications, two finger swipe down for quick settings.
Nicole Nguyen / BuzzFeed
But it only works on stock Android,
available on all Google Play devices (Moto X, Moto G, Nexus, etc.) and
devices running any ROMs based on stock Android, like CyanogenMod.
15. Block people who are bothering you.
In the Contacts app, find the person and tap edit. In Android 5.0, tap the menu (three dots) in the top right and select “All calls to voicemail.” In other versions of Android, scroll down to additional info.
16. Prompt Google to find out what song is playing.
Open Google Search, tap the
microphone and ask “What’s this song?” Your phone will begin analyzing
the audio and show you artist, title, as well as album info.
17. Make your device super secure through encryption.
Settings > Security > choose a PIN or password > Encrypt phone > Encrypt SD Card. This can take a while, so make sure your phone is charged!
Why encrypt your data? Because it protects your identity, passwords,
and personal information by scrambling your data with a cryptographic
key. Someone could easily bypass your lock screen code by plugging it
into a computer.
However, it may decrease battery performance and you’ll have to type
your PIN or password to decrypt the phone every time you turn it on.
18. Reduce your screen’s blue light emission and sleep more soundly.
Twilight
(free) syncs your screen’s brightness and color settings with the sun
cycle, so that your brain can produce melatonin and actually feel sleepy
at night.
19. Get mobile notifications on your desktop computer.
Pushbullet
(free) is an extremely useful app that allows you to see call and text
notifications on your computer. It’s also a very easy way to send files
and links.
That’s all for now! , love, Android.
