Everyone should try these 17 fantastic Android tips and tricks.

en.bedadung.com -- Although there are many customization choices available for all Android phones, there are a few important things you should do before giving your phone your own touch. To help you get the most of the operating system, we compiled helpful Android phone tips and tricks. Some of these ideas are specific to certain devices, but you can use them on Android phones and the best tablets.

Select the apps you wish to use instead of the default ones. Changing the default apps on a new Android smartphone is one of the first things you should do. Most of the default mail programs and browsers offered by the main smartphone vendors are subpar. For instance, the default browser app on Samsung smartphones is the Samsung Internet app, which is inferior to Google Chrome.

You might want to use your favorite browser, SMS, and mail apps instead of the preinstalled apps. After installing them, you must change your default app settings.

Changing the default app on your Android phone is crucial to avoiding frustration when opening links or notifications. Here's how to change them:

Open the Settings app on your Android phone.
Select Apps.
Select Default apps.
Select an app to change.
Android default apps settings screenshot

16 Use third-party launchers and icon packs to customize your phone

Each Android phone has a default launcher with varying levels of customization. Some, like Google Pixel phones, offer limited customization options, while Nubia offers a staggering amount. However, if you're unhappy with your default launcher, install and use third-party launchers.

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The Play Store is brimming with third-party app launchers that allow you to personalize your Android phone. If you want simplicity, the Niagara launcher is one of the best. If you are into theming, Hyperion launcher is for you. You can never go wrong with the classic Nova launcher. We compiled a list of the best Android launchers, which you can check out to find the best one.

Check out the best custom icon packs for Android to take customization to the next level. These icon packs can have the biggest visual impact on your Android phone.

15 Change each app's language

A Pixel phone showing Android 13's App Language menu.

Android has always allowed users to change the display language of their phone to their local language. Google took this to the next level with the Android 13 update by allowing users to change the display language on an app-by-app basis. That means you can set the phone UI to English but change specific apps to your local language. It's a game-changer feature for multilingual people.

To change the app language for an app, open the Settings app and go to System > Languages & Input > App Languages. The App Languages option only appears when you add multiple languages to your device. Also, app developers must enable this feature for their apps, so it might take time before your favorite app supports your local language.

14 Customize the quick settings menu to access key settings quickly

The quick settings page in Android is the best place to quickly access useful settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Battery Saver, and more. Over the years, Android added many quick setting toggles. That means you might have to swipe through multiple pages to get to the setting you want.

Android allows you to edit the Quick Settings page so that you can move important settings to the front. To customize it, swipe down twice to reveal the quick settings page and tap the Edit button. Next, hold and drag on the tiles to rearrange them.

Quick Settings page Edit button

Quick Settings page in edit mode

13 Use widgets to check important information quickly

The best Android apps support widgets, allowing you to display information such as calendar events, tasks, notes, weather, clock, and more on your device's home screen. Use widgets if you don't want to open apps to see things like your next appointment.

To add a widget on your Android home screen, long press the home screen and choose the Widgets option. You'll see the list of apps on your phone that support widgets. Tap an app to reveal all the widget options, then touch and hold a widget to add it to the home screen. You can also drag and resize the widgets.

Android widgets panel screenshot

Android calendar widget added to home screen

A smartphone showing Android 13 widgets on the screen

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Make your home screen more than just an app launcher

12 Set up Quick Tap to perform quick actions

You're missing out on a cool trick if you use a Google Pixel phone but don't use the Quick Tap feature. The Quick Tap feature allows you to take screenshots, play and pause media, show notifications, open Google Assistant, and more. Here's how to activate this feature on a Pixel 4a or later device:

Open the Settings app.
Scroll down and tap System.
Tap Gestures.
Tap Quick Tap to start actions.
Android System Settings Screenshot
Android Gesture Settings Screenshot
Turn on the Quick Tap switch.
Android Quick Tap Settings Screenshot

You'll see the various actions on this page. You can execute them by double-tapping the back of the phone. You can use this feature to turn on the flashlight if you updated your phone to Android 13.

11 Get the hang of the Google Assistant to use voice commands

If you want to take your Android experience to the next level, learn the ins and outs of Google Assistant. Google Assistant is powerful, allowing you to find information, play music, make calls, send messages, control your device and smart home appliances, set routines, and more. To get started, use the voice command "Hey Google" and give it a command.

Google Assistant screenshot

Google Assistant popular actions page screenshot

The Google Assistant logo on top of a red, orange, and yellow background

10 best tips to get the most out of Google Assistant

Unlock true Google Assistant potential on your phone

10 Turn on notification history to avoid missing notifications

Have you ever cleared notifications by mistake? It can be annoying. Android has a built-in notification history feature that keeps a history of the notifications you receive. The feature was introduced with the Android 11 update. If you use one of the latest Android smartphones, use this feature to keep track of your notifications. Here's how to activate notification history on your smartphone:

Open the Settings app.

Tap Notifications.

Tap Notification history.

The Google Pixel Settings app with a red box around the Notifications option

Notifications settings on a Google Pixel phone with a red box around the Notification history option

Turn on the Use notification history switch.

The Notification History settings on a Google Pixel phone with a red arrow pointing to the Use notification history toggle

Now, when you accidentally clear a notification, tap the History button to check your notification history.

Notification History button in notification panel

The notification history page on a Google Pixel phone

9 Silence annoying app notifications

While Android is ahead of the iPhone when it comes to managing and displaying notifications, the notification panel still gets clogged with too many entries. The main culprits are apps (such as gaming apps) that bombard you with meaningless notifications. Android allows you to silence these notifications on a per-app basis.

You can silence app notifications from the notification panel or the Settings app. To silence app notifications using the notification panel, long press a notification to reveal the notification management options. Then, silence or turn off notifications.

Long-press on notification in notification panel

Silence or turn off notification

You can also go to Settings > Notifications > App Settings to manage notifications for all apps. Android also lets you manage the kind of notifications an app can send using its notification channels feature. Notification channels allow you to deactivate marketing and promotions notifications while ensuring you get important notifications like order updates.

App Settings screenshot

Screenshot showing app notifications settings

Screenshot showing notification channels

8 Use Find My Device to locate lost devices

If you lose your Android device, you can find it with the Find My Device feature as long as you're signed in to that Android device with your Google account. Apart from helping you find your device, you can use this feature to ring your device even if it's in silent mode. It's a handy feature for finding your misplaced smartphone in your home.

You can also use the Find My Device feature to lock your device, sign out of everything, and erase all content from your device. Even if your smartphone is stolen, it ensures your data doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Here's how to turn on this feature:

Open the Settings app.

Tap Security.

Tap Find My Device.

Android Security setting screenshot

Android Find My Device screenshot

Turn on the Use Find My Device switch.

When your device is lost, open the Find My Device website in a web browser and log in with your Google account. Then, use the Google Find My Device page to ring your phone, erase its content, and secure your device.

Find My Device Website Screenshot

7 Use the Phone Link app to access your Android device from a Windows PC

The Phone Link app on Windows allows you to see your photos, receive notifications, take calls, and reply to messages. You can also use your Android apps on your Windows PC and get features like app mirroring, file sharing, cross-device copy-paste, and more.

Control music and mute the phone with Phone Link

6 Install apps from outside the Google Play Store

While the Google Play Store is the best place to install apps on your Android, it isn't the only place. Thousands of nifty apps are not on the Google Play Store, owing to the Play Store's requirements. However, Android allows you to install apps from third-party sources. To ensure that the app you download is safe, use trusted Google Play Store alternatives such as Amazon Appstore or APK Mirror to find the apps you want to install.

download apk mirror installer

Samsung Galaxy Store screenshot

F-Droid Store screenshot displaying the latest apps and widgets

5 Uninstall bloatware to speed up your device

While the Google Pixel phones offer a clean experience with minimal bloatware, the same cannot be said about other OEM partners. Each Android OEM ships its phone with a selection of apps you might not want to use. These apps take up space on your phone, send unnecessary notifications, and may run in the background using battery and data.

To stop these apps from hogging your phone's system resources, uninstall them from your Android device. If you own a Samsung device, read our guide on deleting Samsung apps from your phone. Similarly, you can find tutorials to delete bloatware from your smartphone with a Google Search.

4 Quick launch the camera with your phone's buttons

Camera is one of the most used apps for smartphone users. To ensure you capture the beautiful moments in your life, learn how to launch the camera on your phone in seconds. You can double-click the power button to launch the camera on most smartphones, including Google Pixels, OnePlus, and Samsung. When the camera is open, press the volume up or volume down button to capture shots and long press to start a video recording.

3 Password protect your photos

Sometimes, we capture private moments that we don't want to share with others. The best way to ensure the security of these photos is to hide them inside a password-secure vault. If you use Google Photos, go to Library > Utilities and set up the Locked Folder. You can also use the Secure Folder feature on Samsung Galaxy phones to create a locked folder to store your private photos and files. You'll find this feature in the Biometrics and Security section of the Settings app.

Google Photos Library Folder screenshot showing Utilities option

Locked Folder set up screenshot

2 Use app pinning to restrict access to your phone

There are times when you have to hand over your phone to someone. You can use Android's app pinning feature to ensure the person doesn't snoop around. When you pin an app in Android, you can only use that app and cannot open anything else.

Here's how to activate this feature on your Android smartphone:

Open the Settings app.

Tap Security.

Tap App pinning.

Turn on the Use app pinning toggle.

App pinning settings screenshot

To pin an app, open the Recent app menu and tap the app icon. Then tap the Pin option to pin the app.

Screenshot showing Chrome App is pinned

1 Require a password to turn off your Samsung phone

Samsung's OneUI offers several features that aren't found on stock Android. One of our favorite features is the Secure Lock feature, which requires a password to turn off your device. It ensures no one can switch off your phone without permission. If someone steals your phone, they can't turn it off, and you can track it using the Find My Device feature.

The feature works by default when you turn on Find My Device. If it doesn't work, go to Settings > Lock Screen > Secure lock settings and turn on the Lock network and security toggle.

Samsung Secure Lock feature prevents your Wi-Fi and mobile data from being turned off

When your phone is locked and someone tries to turn it off, it asks for your password. You don't get this feature on stock Android smartphones. However, other smartphone OEMs like Realme offer this feature, so check whether your phone supports this feature.

Supercharge your Android smartphone with these Android hacks

These tips and tricks get you started in the Android ecosystem, but it's a constantly evolving OS. After familiarizing yourself with these basic Android tips, read up on the biggest Android 15 features and stay up to date with the latest Android features.