Android is undoubtedly the most popular operating system, given its presence in hundreds of different models of smartphones of various brands: Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola, Huawei, Xiaomi and many other minor houses. If you don't buy an iPhone, the chances of having an Android smartphone in your hand are therefore extremely high. In this mini instruction manual for smartphones, we have decided to meet all users who want to use an Android phone for the first time (perhaps coming from an iPhone or an older generation phone), instead showing you how to use it from experts since immediately .
The guide is suitable for beginners but we will also show you many tricks and advanced guides with which to constantly improve the approach to Android even by users who have used it for many years.
READ ALSO: 20-point guide to Android to get started with your mobile phone or tablet
Android guide for beginners
The guide is divided into convenient categories, so you can learn all the secrets of the Google-branded operating system step by step.How to call and add numbers to the phone book
Making a classic call is very simple: we look for the Phone or Call app to display the dial pad, type the phone number we want to call then tap the green button to start the call.
If we have numbers to save in the address book, we can import them directly from the SIM Card or type them on the numeric keypad and select the Add to contacts or Save to contacts item, visible directly from the keypad or from the menu at the top right. The saved numbers are visible from the Contacts or Address Book app, depending on the phone manufacturer; to avoid losing them in case of loss or change of phone, we recommend activating the synchronization of online contacts, as described in our guide on How to transfer Android contacts and synchronize the address book .
If we want to integrate a filtering system for unwanted calls on our Android phone, we can change the official keypad and install one of the recommended dialer apps in our guide on how to block calls from unwanted numbers and unwanted SMS .
How to add an email account
Emails are very important nowadays and we will have to make sure to receive them in real time also on our Android smartphone. Modern phones have an app dedicated to receiving e-mails (usually called Email), but for convenience we recommend using only the Gmail app, always updated, already present on practically any Android device and compatible with any type phone.
To add a Gmail email account to our phone, just add a Google account to the phone: open the Settings app, look for the Account or Synchronization menu then tap on Add account -> Google ; now all we have to do is insert the Google account in our possession to start the synchronization of Gmail.
If we want to add other Gmail accounts or other email accounts (to be controlled in one app), just open the Gmail app, open the menu at the top left (with the three horizontal lines), tap on Settings and select finally Add Account . The app supports Outlook, Hotmail and Live, Yahoo accounts, Microsoft Exchange and Office 365 accounts and offers the possibility to manually configure the account to be entered (for example in the case of corporate email or PEC).
In this regard, we invite you to read our guides on how to add non-Google email addresses on Gmail for Android and Best Android apps to read and send Email .
How to install a new app
In order to expand the functionality of the phone we will have to learn how to install new apps from the dedicated Android store, namely Google Play Store . We identify your app among those on the device and log in with a Google account (in case we have not already done so); after logging in we will see the initial screen of the store, where you can choose what to install from the various categories or using the search bar at the top (in case we need a specific app).
Once the app we want to install is identified, just tap on its name or image, then press the Install button to start the installation on the device (if the app is available for free). If the app is available for a fee, we must first add a payment method to the Play Store, as described in our Guide to the Google Play Store, tricks and options to know .
If we don't know which app to install on our Android smartphone, we invite you to read our guides Best free Android Apps to download for each category and Top 10 paid Android apps that are worth buying .
If instead we are looking for an alternative store from which to install the apps (net of the safety tips that we will see in the dedicated chapter), we recommend reading our article on Alternatives to Play Store to download Android Apps without Google account .
How to customize the appearance of Android
What distinguishes Android from any other operating system (even compared to iPhones) is the great level of customization that we can set on our phone: we can practically change the appearance and usability of the device by installing the right apps!
If we want to change the launcher (i.e. the screen and app management system), just install one of the recommended apps in our guide to the Best Android Launchers to change the Start screen on all smartphones ; if instead we seek the maximum speed from our phone, we can choose one of the launchers recommended in the article to the fastest and lightest Android Launchers for slow smartphones .
If we want to change the keyboard, just install one of the alternative keyboards on the store and go to the Settings app -> Languages and input -> Current keyboard, so you can choose the keyboard to be used when writing messages or on any app.
To change the wallpaper, lock screen and widgets, we invite you to read our dedicated guides on how to change and download wallpapers on Android mobiles and tablets, on how to change Android lock screen with lockscreen apps and finally the best Android widgets for smartphone screen .
If instead we want a more "pure" Android experience, with apps always updated and based on Google's releases, we invite you to replace the system apps with the recommended apps in our guide to All Google Apps for Android smartphones .
How to increase security on Android
Security is an aspect that should not be underestimated on Android, given that its widespread use has aroused the interest of cyber criminals, who create new viruses and traps for Android smartphones every day.To avoid fraudulent or virus-filled apps, simply activate the antivirus integrated in the Google Play Store : we open the Store app, press the menu at the top left (with the three horizontal lines), then select the Play Protect menu.
We press the gear symbol in the upper right corner and make sure that the two items Search for security threats and Improve detection of malicious apps are active. In this way Play Protect will always check all the installed apps, reporting and removing the dangerous apps that we can install by mistake or through external sources.
To increase security and also block dangerous chat messages (very common, especially on WhatsApp), we recommend installing one of the free antivirus apps reported in our guide to the best free antivirus for Android . Always to increase security, we carefully follow all the tips in the article on How to protect Android from malware and malicious apps, viruses and spies, so as to avoid the vast majority of threats that can affect our phone.
If we fear that our Android smartphone may be lost or stolen, simply activate the tracking system integrated in the operating system, so you can always know where our phone is (if on and connected to the Internet), block it or reset it to distance and play it, so you can find it immediately.
To block the launch of some apps and to keep your data and passwords in a safe place, just follow the tips in our guide on how to secure the data of an Android phone in 10 ways .
How to update Android and apps
To benefit from new features and to increase the security of our Android smartphone, we will have to proceed with the constant updating of the operating system and the installed apps, so as not to take risks and always get the latest news.
To update the operating system through the official releases of the manufacturer, simply go to Settings -> About phone -> System updates (or similar item) and start the search for new updates. If there is an update, just press on Download and install to update the operating system. If our smartphone has not received any system updates for at least two years, we recommend installing a modified operating system (a Custom ROM), such as those recommended in our guide to the best Android Custom ROM versions for each smartphone .
If we do not want to change the operating system (the procedure is long and not without risk), we can still have an updated smartphone by following the advice in our guide to How to update Android (even without installing new versions) .
Automatically updating the apps is very simple and within reach of any user: we open the Google Play Store app, go to the top left menu (three horizontal lines) and select the Settings menu. From here we select the item Automatic app update and make sure to select Only via Wi-Fi or On any network (if we have a mobile data offer of at least 20 GB).
If we want to update the apps manually at regular intervals, let's go back to the left side menu of the Play Store, tap on My apps and my games then press the Update all button (if any) to update the apps.
We advise you to always update the apps, so that you can access the new functions and increase their usability over time; if the internal memory is not enough to update all the apps, we advise you to read our guide on how to free up Android space on internal memory and SD card .
Conclusions
With our complete guide to Android we can use any phone with the green robot as if we were expert users, just learn the essentials to be able to carry out most of the daily operations.Still on the Android guide theme we can read our two guides to things to do immediately on the new Android smartphone and to the typical errors on Android that beginners make, so as to immediately know the things to do as soon as we turn on the phone and the things to don't do on Android, since they can ruin the user experience.
In another article, to learn more, we told you about the Android notification bar, another important element on which it is worth investing a little time, so as to become real experts of the operating system.
To stay updated on Android news, we install the Navigaweb app on our mobile phone without delay.
