If you’ve just purchased an Android phone, congratulations. By going Android, you’ve opted for raw functionality over simplicity, for customization over absolute user-friendliness. Android is a powerful platform, but only for those who take full advantage of all its tricks.
To help get you started, here’s a
guide to tricking out your Android phone, whether you just bought a Samsung Galaxy S 4, HTC One or a budget Android
handset from your local prepaid carrier:
Widgets are an easy to way to put
information and quick commands front-and-center on your phone. Here’s my most recent list of favorites, and here’s another list for good measure. On most newer
phones, you can add widgets by going to the main app launcher, then swiping
over to the widgets section. Some phones let you add widgets by holding your
finger down on a blank part of the home screen.
Once you’ve got a solid collection,
try to organize them in a logical way. For example, my main screen has just the
weather, favorite apps and a fast way to reach my wife (more on that next).
Then I have one screen for quick actions like note-taking, bookmarks and
navigation shortcuts, one for news and information and another for phone settings.
2.
Give Yourself a Spouse/Significant Other/BFF Button
I want to give special attention to
Android’s built-in 1-by-1 Contact widget (or the “wife button,” as I call it),
which serves as a command center for talking to that special someone in your
life. Add it to your home screen, and with two taps you’ll be able to call,
send a text message or write an e-mail. (Update: Some HTC phones,
such as the HTC One, only include a 4-by-4 Contact widget. But there is
another way: Press and hold down on your home screen, and you should see a
drop-down list with “Widgets” as the default option. Change this to
“Shortcuts,” then select “Person,” and select the contact you want to add.)
3.
Set Up Google Play to Stream Your Music Collection
Just because your music collections
is in iTunes doesn’t mean you can’t have your songs on Android. To bring
music songs over from iTunes, you could use an app like DoubleTwist,
but I prefer streaming my music from Google Play, freeing up space on the phone for
more photos, videos and apps.
Just install the Music Manager software on your computer, and tell
it where your music library is located. The software will match your collection
to Google’s own library for free (similar to iTunes
Match), and will upload any songs it can’t match. Then, you can use
the Google Play Music app for Android to play your
songs. The app can also download albums and playlists for offline listening.
3.
Use the Google Play Website to Install Apps Remotely
The next time you find a good
Android app suggestion on the web (here are 25 of them), don’t bother taking out your phone
to download them. As long as you have visited Google Play on your phone before,
and have connected your Google account, you can remotely install apps through
the Google
Play website. Just click the blue “Install” or “Buy” button on any
app page, then select your device from the drop-down list. The app should
appear on your phone shortly thereafter.
4.
Set Your Apps to Update Automatically
Keeping your apps up to date on
other platforms can be a hassle, but on Android, you can set apps to update
automatically. Just go to the Google Play app, hit your menu button, and go to
Settings, then check the box for “Auto-update apps.” You may also want to check
the “Update over Wi-Fi only” box to avoid going over your cellular data cap.
Keep in mind that if an app changes its privacy permissions, you’ll still have
to update it manually.
5.
Get a Gesture Keyboard
On Android, you are not bound to the
software keyboard that comes with your phone. If you aren’t using a gesture
keyboard, like Swype or SwiftKey Flow, you’re missing out. Check out this video
of how gesture typing works, then spend a solid week or two giving it a try.
Once you get used to it, you’ll never want to go back.
You’ve got a few options for gesture
typing on Android. It’s possible that your phone may have a gesture keyboard
included, but the quality of these versions can vary. Your best options are to
buy SwiftKey ($4, or free trial) and enable Flow after installation,
or buy Swype ($1, or free trial). Both apps will walk you through the
setup process when you open them for the first time.
6.
Set Up Google Now
Google Now is a virtual assistant built into
newer Android phones. It attempts to provide information automatically based on
where your are, what you search for and other information. For example, if
you’re at a train station, it will alert you to when the next train arrives.
And once it figures out where you work and live (based on the phone’s
location), it can warn you about traffic on your commute. It can also hook into
Gmail to provide information on flights, track inbound packages and remind you
of upcoming events.
To enable Google Now, open up the
Google Search app and go into settings. Flip on the switch for “Google Now” to
on. You can also tap the the Google Now line in settings for more options,
allowing you to fine-tune the types of information that show up.
7.
Download Chrome (If You Don’t Have It)
Even though Chrome is technically
the default browser for Android, some phone makers have deluded themselves into
thinking their own browsers are better. Don’t believe it. Chrome is fast and
simple, and if you use Chrome on your computer, the mobile app will
automatically keep your bookmarks in sync.
If your phone doesn’t come with
Chrome, pick it up from the Google Play store. Occasionally, you’ll see a
prompt to choose which browser to use (for instance, when opening a link
through Twitter). Whenver this happens, select Chrome and hit “Always,” and
you’ll never have to deal with an inferior browser again.
8.
Get Text Messages on Your Computer
On Android, several third-party apps
will allow you to read and respond to text messages from your computer or
tablet, using your existing phone number. I rounded up a few of them in an older post, but my
favorite is MightyText.
Just install the app on your phone, then follow the
instructions on MightyText’s website to access your text messages on your
desktop browser or your tablet.
Source: Time.com
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