1. Get Some Widgets,
Organize Your Home
Screen
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.
4. 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.
5. 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
.
6.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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Get Comfortable with
“Share”
In certain apps, you might notice
an icon resembling a “V” or a “<”
character, sometimes with arrows
pointing outward. This is the Share
button, and it’s designed to let any two
apps on your phone communicate with
each other.
For instance, the Share button will let
send interesting web links directly to
your social networking app of choice. If
you’ve written something in text editor,
the Share button will let you send those
notes by e-mail or save them to Dropbox.
If you have a read-it-later app like
Pocket , the Share button lets you save
articles without ever leaving the app
you’re in. Get comfortable with the Share
button and you’ll save yourself lots of
time.
11. Download Maps
for Offline Use
Internet connections fail.
Mobile networks get congested. But you
don’t want that to happen when you’re
relying on GPS navigation for directions.
Go into Maps on your phone, hit the
menu button, and select “Make available
offline.” Pinch or zoom to select the map
area you want to download, then press
“Done.” You should store a map for
where you live, and store some more
before you travel. Even if you don’t have
a data connection, you’ll be able to see
your GPS location marker in Google
Maps, so this trick is especially helpful
for navigating a foreign country without
a data plan.
12. Connect to a PC for Fast
Photo Transfers
One nice thing about
Android is that you’re not
locked into a program
like iTunes for moving
files on and off the
phone. On the downside, transferring
photos or other files requires just a little
more know-how.
After plugging your phone into a PC’s
USB port, look for it in your computer’s
file browser. You’ll likely see a folder
called “Internal Storage.” Click on that,
then look for the folder called “DCIM.”
You’ll find all your photos in here,
possibly in another folder called
“Camera” or something similar. Mac
users, note that you’ll need extra Android
File Transfer software to make this work.
Alternatively, when you plug in the
phone, look for a notification on your
phone that says you’re connected by USB.
Tap on this notification, and select the
option to connect as Camera (or PTP).
This is a good option for Mac users who
just want to get to their photos, rather
than the entire Android file system.
13. Take
Advantage of
Refunds
Any time you pay for an Android app, you
have 15 minutes to try it out and get your
money back if you’re not satisfied. That’s
not a lot of time, but it’s enough to poke
around the app and make sure it suits
your needs. Being able to get a refund is
especially useful if you’re looking for
something specific, and the app’s
description doesn’t tell you exactly what
you need to know. It’s also a lifesaver if
the app doesn’t work with your phone
for any reason.
To get the refund, just go back to the
app’s page in Google Play. As long as you
bought the app within 15 minutes, you’ll
see a “refund” button. The app will
uninstall, and you’ll get your money back.
