Android secrets, tips and shortcuts
THE BEST TRICKS AND FEATURES YOU SHOULD KNOW.
EVERY NEW VERSION of Android brings new features and tricks that can help you get the most out of the operating system. Some we can’t not live without, others are just good to know, while a few will blow your mind. is guide is based around Marshmallow (6.0), but many tricks work in older versions too. Depending on the phone, some menu options may differ. If in doubt, use the Search option in settings to quickly nd what you need. Android has loads of hidden functionality activated by touching and holding a button, so give it a try and see what you can nd.
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
Considering that a huge amount of smartphone use involves a keyboard, knowing the ins and outs can save time and frustration. ese tips are aimed at the latest default Android keyboard.
To make editing a sentence or word a whole lot easier, swiping le or right on the keyboard space bar moves the cursor. In the same vein, touching and holding the delete key, then swiping le (without removing your nger) allows quick selection of one or more entire words to delete. Touching and holding the top row of letters brings up alternate options, including numbers. is also works on other keys, such as the period, which brings up other punctuation options. Touching and holding on the comma bring up quick link to the settings and languages, as well as an option to shrink the keyboard for one-handed typing on larger phones. Touching and holding the symbols icon (bottom le ), then dragging to the chosen symbol before releasing makes the selection then automatically revert back to the main keyboard.
Pressing and holding the shi key turns caps lock on until it’s touched again. Touching the shi key, then swiping across to a letter and releasing types it as a capital. Touch and hold a word to highlight it, and hit the shi key once to capitalise it, and twice to turn it to all caps.
PHYSICAL BUTTONS
Hardware buttons on an Android phone can do more than the basic volume control or switching your device on and o — though it varies for non-stock Android models. A quick double press on the power button launches the camera, even if the phone is locked or you are in another app. e volume buttons also snap a picture once the app is open.
In Marshmallow, holding down the volume down key turns the phone to ‘vibrate only’ mode. Doing it again activates ‘do not disturb’ mode, while the up button does the reverse. In Android 4.0 or higher, holding the power button and volume down button takes a screenshot. A long hold on the power button brings up options such as shutdown, restart, aeroplane mode and sound adjustments.
APPS AND GOOGLE NOW
Finding apps in the app tray is easy with a search, but there is also a simple way to increase the e ectiveness of the scroll. Touch and hold the scroll bar itself (rather than swiping the entire screen), to get an alphabet scroll readout that makes it very fast
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to nd the app you are looking for. Another app tray shortcut is touching and holding an app icon (as if you are going to place it on a home screen), then sliding it up to the app info text and releasing. is takes you directly into the settings for the particular app, such as adjusting permissions. A little more common knowledge, touching and holding the home button at any time opens up Google Now, with lots of helpful info and shortcuts based on whatever app or website was open. For those who prefer voice search, the “OK Google” activation phrase can be set to work at all times, not just when the icon is pressed. Open up Google Now, and touch the menu tab (three horizontal lines, top le ), then tap ‘Settings > Voice’, ‘OK Google’ detection, then select ‘From any screen’.
UNDER THE HOOD
Android Marshmallow comes with a built-in le explorer — nd it by heading to ‘Settings > Storage & USB’, then ‘Explore’. e hidden System UI Tuner is a great way to tweak the layout and usability of the Android. Turn it on by opening the Quick Settings menu and holding the settings cog icon for ve seconds, then release. Now navigate to Settings, and select ‘UI Tuner’ right down the bottom. ere are various options, such as creating a custom Quick Settings menu, or adding and removing icons from the status bar. Under ‘UI Tuner’, it’s also possible to replace that hard-to-read battery gauge with numbers showing remaining percentage of charge. Another super handy feature for when you’re running low on juice is the Battery saver option (Settings > Battery > Menu > Battery saver), which disables almost everything aside from calls and messages until you exit it, or charge the device.
REMOTE MANAGEMENT
Logging into your account at
lets you remotely locate, lock, ring and erase any phones connected to your account. For those with the same account signed into Chrome, simply typing “where is my phone” (or similar), locates it. Typing other commands into Google (with a signed-in Chrome account) also work. Typing “remind me” allows Google Now reminders to be set based on a time or a place, such as, “Remind me to buy co ee when I am at Coles Lane Cove” or “Remind me to call Mum tomorrow at 7pm”.
EASTER EGG
Just for fun, Google has been including a hidden game of sorts in Android for years. Head to ‘Settings > About phone’, then repeatedly tap the Android version number until a logo appears. Tap it once and a sweet treat will appear, then touch and hold to re up the game. Depending on what version of Android you run, the treat will vary (Marshmallow, Lollipop, KitKat, Jelly Bean) as will the game. Android 5.0 and 6.0 get a Flappy Bird clone, while 4.0 has a tile game.