Although Android is the most popular operating system on smartphones around the world (and will soon surpass Windows as the most popular operating system in general), many still remain to be discovered, because full of hidden features that if you don't know it is also difficult find by chance. In this article that applies a little to all Android phones including Samsung Galaxy, Huawey, LG, HTC, Asus and all the others that are not iPhones, we therefore see some of the most important and useful hidden internal functions of Android, in so you can customize it according to your preferences, to save time, to be able to use it to the best of its characteristics and exploit all its power.
My challenge is to see if you know them all.
The following tricks should be included in every phone that has at least Android version 5 although in some cases they may have different names (the guide is based on Google's original Android)
1) Quickly open the notification bar
The most used function of the phone, namely the notification bar, can be expanded more quickly than when you normally do it by swiping two fingers on the screen downwards, from any position.
2) Reduce eye fatigue by using black and white screen
For sure this can reduce the quality of the smartphone, however it may be, those who have eye problems while looking at the screen can use the option in Settings> Developer options> Simulate color space> Monochrome .
If not available, see here how to enable Android developer options.
Alternatively, you can always install a screen filter on Android to rest your eyes.
3) Show the touch on the screen
Also from the developer options you can activate the option to see a sign where you touch the screen.
This option is called Show Touches and can be useful to those who see little of it and those who use the touchscreen phone the first few times.
4) Limit usage data
To limit the apps that remain running in the background, you can limit the traffic consumption in Settings> Data usage, touch the apps that use data and use the switch to limit background app data for the less important ones.
5) Save a web page as a PDF
Using the Chrome browser you can convert a web page into a PDF file.
To do this, just press the options button at the top right, then go to Share -> Print and then select save the web page in PDF format from the top menu.
6) See the tabs open in Chrome
Usually to exit Chrome press the Home button.
However, this leaves the tab you were viewing open, so the next time you open the browser on another tab, you will find two tabs open and so on.
If you do not pay attention to this aspect you could fill Chrome with open tabs and see the phone very slow due to low memory.
When you open Chrome, therefore, you must always pay attention to the number in the upper right that indicates the open tabs, touch it and swipe away to close all those that are not seen.
To exit Chrome without leaving sites open, just press the back button.
7) Browse the files stored on the phone
Even without using an external app, you can view the files in the phone's memory by opening Chrome at file: /// sdcard /
8) Dinosaur game in Chrome
One of the nicest and funniest things hidden in Android is the dinosaur game that can be done on Chrome when the phone has no internet connection.
If it's offline, open a site on Chrome to make the site page appear unavailable and double-tap on the dinosaur to start playing.
9) Use the power button to end a call
To close a phone call you can conveniently use the power button, so as not to leave the phone active for those seconds that are necessary to press the close button on the screen (during which words can escape which would be better than the other does not hear ).
To activate this function, open Settings> Accessibility and activate the option End call from ON / OFF.
10) Fix the phone on an app
If you have to lend the phone to someone to show him a game or an application or a screen in particular and you don't want this person to go and spy on other things like Whatsapp messages, you can fix the screen and prevent him from leaving it .
The option must be activated in Settings> Security, by turning on the Lock screen switch.
Optionally you can also activate the option that to exit the lock you have to type the sequence of the general screen lock.
At this point, open the app or the screen to be locked, touch the button on the bottom square, the multitasking one, swipe your finger from the bottom up until the pin appears and then touch the pin.
11) Start the phone in safe mode
In case of problems or system errors that block the correct functioning of the mobile phone, you can try to restart it in safe mode to remove the apps that could be causing the errors.
To restart in safe mode, press the shutdown button until the word shutdown appears, then touch and hold on Shut down until the option to restart in safe mode appears.
12) Smart Lock
One of the most useful hidden features in Android is smart unlock, which keeps your cell phone unlocked when it is safe that it is with us or close to us.
You can therefore choose to keep it unlocked if we are at home or in the office or if it is connected to a particular bluetooth device.
To activate the Smartlock you have to go to Settings> Security.
On this function we have seen a guide on how to have the phone unlocked at home or in your pocket on Android (Smart Lock)
13) Scroll the cursor while writing
When writing with the touchscreen keyboard on Android the problem is making corrections to what you write because it becomes necessary to position the cursor between the letters which is difficult using your finger.
Fortunately, in the Google Gboard keyboard you can move the cursor by swiping your finger left or right on the space bar.
14) OK Google
To use the Android phone with your voice you can activate the Ok Google function which becomes a voice call to do anything without using your hands.
I refer to another article the guide to activate Ok Google on every Android smartphone.
15) Quick zoom on the maps
To zoom in on a map you can pinch with two fingers and then spread or tighten.
It is done even before and with a single finger, double-clicking on the map and then, without taking your finger, drag up and down.
16) Owner Information
A basic and very important security measure is one that shows our name and email address or phone number (not ours) on the lock screen.
in this way, if we lose the mobile phone and an honest person finds it, he can know who he is and call that number to track down the owner.
In Settings> Security, find the Lock Screen Msg option and write it down.
This feature may vary from phone to phone, but remains one of the essential security options to be activated.
17) Guest mode
In almost all smartphones, you can create an Android guest user account to use when you lend your phone to someone, to separate the data and make all our apps impossible to spy on.
18) Locate the phone
To find our mobile phone at any time, even if lost, there are many applications, but also a hidden Android function that must be activated first.
This is the Android device management function to find the mobile phone
This application allows you to locate your phone from your PC or other device, to make it ring or to erase the memory.
19) Secret Android menu
This can be activated to add some experimental options and, above all, to decide the buttons to see on the quick controls screen.
20) Android secret codes to open hidden menus
These are codes to be entered using the numeric keypad which allow access to some test and diagnostic menus that are not very useful but very interesting and curious.
Finally, I remember tricks and functions hidden in the Samsung Galaxy which are all special and then also the special functions and options of Huawei smartphones with EMUI
