With each new Android version comes a flurry of fancy contemporary options. A few of them instantly turn into the way in which we paintings, whilst others simply quietly fade away with out making a lot noise.
After which there are the options that fall someplace in between — options that appear helpful, possibly even pique our hobby after we first listen about ’em, however then get misplaced within the shuffle and forgotten as time wears on. Particularly when stated options are out of sight and not at all obvious, they are all too clean to forget and abandon.
Neatly, as we stay up for the release of but every other new Android model — Android 14, now to be had in an early beta and anticipated to land in earnest someday this summer season — imagine this your pleasant reminder: Those hidden Android options, added into the running components at quite a lot of issues over the last a number of years, are nonetheless there and nonetheless extremely to hand. And also you do not want any kind of glossy new instrument to look ’em.
Take a second to rediscover those undying treasures and remind your self what you have been lacking.
Hidden Android function No. 1: Rapid app-switching
One of the helpful options to come back into Android in ages may be some of the least well known and discoverable. I am talkin’ concerning the Alt-Tab-like rapid app-switching serve as that used to be first presented long ago in 2016’s Android 7 and stays one among my favourite Android shortcuts to nowadays.
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You’ll be forgiven if you happen to forgot about it — or possibly by no means even knew about it within the first position — ‘motive truthfully, there is completely not anything that’d clue you into its life. And it is developed a good quantity over time, too, which makes the percentages of dropping observe of it even higher.
So here is the way it works: First, in case you are utilizing Android’s current gesture system — without a on-screen navigation buttons and only a skinny little line on the backside of your display screen — flick your finger towards the appropriate any place alongside that bottom-of-screen house. That’ll snap you again for your maximum not too long ago used app sooner than you’ll say “frugal Google bugle full of tasty kugel” (which, to be truthful, is not one thing you’ll say particularly temporarily). From there, you’ll click on flick towards the appropriate once more to return every other step for your app-using historical past or flick to the left to snap again within the different route.
You’ll additionally do much less of a flick and extra of an arching swipe — transferring your finger upward, ever so quite, as you slide towards the left or the appropriate at the backside of the display screen — if you wish to get a greater have a look at the apps within the listing ahead of making the transfer.
JR The farther you swipe and the upper you pass, the extra apps you can see — all within the order of while you final used ’em.
JR If you are nonetheless utilizing Android’s older three-button navigation components, worry now not, for you’ll do that, too — a part of it, anyway: Simply double-tap the Evaluate key (the square-shaped icon subsequent to Again and House) anytime to temporarily zap between your two maximum not too long ago used processes.
Hidden Android function No. 2: App shortcuts
Talking of app-related shortcuts, Android has an exceptionally environment friendly components known as — slightly fittingly — App Shortcuts. Those supreme little suckers are utterly hidden out of sight, although, and they are as a result disregarded extra continuously than now not.
However Goog almighty, can they be helpful. You’ll bring to mind App Shortcuts as direct hyperlinks to express purposes inside of apps in your cellphone — tactics to get to person movements or spaces inside of an app with no need to head in the course of the standard technique of opening it up, searching round thru its menus, and tapping a couple of instructions to succeed in your vacation spot.
To appear thru your App Shortcut choices, press and cling your finger down on any app’s icon — both on your house display screen or for your app drawer — for approximately a 2d. The choices range from one app to the following, however you are certain to search out some implausible probabilities. As an example:
- With Google’s Messages app, long-pressing the app’s icon allows you to soar without delay into various not too long ago used message threads.
- With Google Docs, you’ll hop directly into a brand new report or to the provider’s seek serve as with no need to first open the app and poke round.
- With Google Drive, you’ll get direct hyperlinks for looking, importing a brand new record, and even scanning a bodily report along with your cellphone’s digicam.
- And with Google Calendar, you’ll create a brand new match, a brand new job, or a brand new reminder appropriate from that hidden long-press menu.
The listing is going on from there, so make an effort to faucet round and discover what shortcuts your specific apps have to offer. And while you discover a shortcut that turns out particularly helpful for the way in which you’re employed, take into account this additional invisible trick: You’ll pull any shortcut out of an app’s long-press menu and put it without delay on your house display screen for even more uncomplicated one-tap get right of entry to. Simply press and cling the shortcut you wish to have after which drag it into any open area on your house display screen.
JRExcellent to understand, appropriate?!
Hidden Android function No. 3: Are living Caption
Google’s Android 10 free up presented an sudden gem into the running components — one thing that has the prospective to be far more helpful than you would be expecting in the beginning look. It is known as Live Caption, and it is technically an accessibility function for people who’ve a troublesome time listening to.
The convenience in that state of affairs is plain, however Are living Caption too can turn out to be useful for almost any individual on a daily foundation — as a result of what it successfully does is permit you to see what a video or podcast is announcing with no need any audible sound enjoying out of your cellphone. I will continuously turn it on in short after I need to “concentrate in” to a couple way of multimedia whilst I shouldn’t have headphones to hand and am in a state of affairs the place blaring sound out from my cellphone’s audio system would not precisely be optimum (a singular idea for anyone to have nowadays, I notice).
In such moments, all I have gotta do is faucet a little bit field that displays up underneath the amount controls every time any roughly media is enjoying on my tool — and holy moly, wouldya have a look at that?
JRAs soon as that button’s pressed, each phrase uttered within the video or audio clip displays up on my display screen so I will learn it while having the true sound became all of the means down.
And y’know what? Let’s take this hidden-feature thought a step additional, ‘motive there are if truth be told two extra easy-to-miss probabilities inside of the program. As soon as you have got Are living Caption activated and you are seeing captions in your display screen, you’ll double-tap the caption field to make it larger — or press and cling your finger onto the field to transport it round any place in your display screen. Whee!
If you are utilizing a cellphone with Android 10 or upper and also you are not seeing that Are living Caption choice as a part of your quantity controls, head into your components settings and seek for Are living Caption there. You’ll be able to almost certainly wish to in finding the related segment and turn a toggle into the on place inside of it to turn on the function — and, relying in your tool (hello, Samsung folks!), you may additionally must turn on a 2d toggle in that very same house to ensure the Are living Caption choice if truth be told displays up as a part of your quantity panel.
On Samsung telephones, you can additionally must extend your quantity panel (by means of tapping the little three-horizontal-box icon inside of it) to search out the Are living Caption choice.
It doesn’t matter what form of cellphone you are utilizing, although, take into account: Are living Caption will handiest display up and paintings when some way of sound is actively being performed.
Hidden Android function No. 4: Percentage menu pinning
This subsequent tucked-away deal with used to be first added into Android long ago within the 2016 Nougat technology however then taken away for some time and handiest introduced again with 2021’s Android 11 free up. (Goodness gracious, Google: You are makin’ me dizzy!)
It is the talent to customise the order of apps for your cellphone’s system-level Percentage menu — which means that you’ll then stay your individual maximum steadily used sharing locations on the most sensible of the listing for simple ongoing get right of entry to. Hip, hip, hoorah!
The function is sadly sophisticated by means of the truth that a lot of apps, together with lots of Google’s personal utilities, now use customized percentage interfaces as a substitute of depending at the components same old (grumble, grumble, grumble). However for any app that is if truth be told doing issues in a smart means and utilizing the usual Android percentage menu, bear in mind: As long as your cellphone is operating Android 11 or upper, you’ll press and cling your favourite fingie onto any merchandise inside of that sharing listing to pin it to the highest. And it’s going to then keep in that spot for all long run sharing, anytime the usual components menu is used.
To peer for your self, pass spotlight some textual content inside of an e mail in Gmail and make a choice “Percentage” from the menu that comes up. Then press and cling that easiest little pointer of yours down onto any app you spot within the listing of sharing choices — and, ta-da:
JRYou’ll be able to see the command to pin it. You’ll pin as much as 4 other sharing goals, if you wish to have, and they are going to all seem in alphabetical order in a unique row on the most sensible of that menu.
Hidden Android function No 5: App pinning
An oft-overlooked function presented all of the long ago in 2014’s Android 5 free up (mmm, Lollipop…) is a little bit somethin’ known as app pinning. It allows you to lock one explicit app or procedure for your display screen after which calls for you to free up your tool ahead of the rest may also be accessed.
The speculation is if truth be told relatively smart: Say you are passing your cellphone off to a chum, a co-worker, or some way of rabid jungle fowl — possibly so they are able to see a report, have a look at one thing on a website online, or peck out a handy guide a rough name while their very own tiny bird-phone is not to hand. Take two seconds to pin no matter app is related to that goal for your display screen, and you’ll relaxation clean figuring out the remainder of your stuff will stay protected and inaccessible till the telephone’s again for your personal paws.
To make use of the function, first seek your components settings for app pinning — or, in case you are utilizing a Samsung cellphone (the place issues are all the time arbitrarily renamed for no obvious reason why), seek as a substitute for pin app.
Then again you get there, as soon as you are at the appropriate settings display screen, be sure the primary toggle for the function is activated and likewise be sure the toggle subsequent to “Ask for free up development ahead of unpinning” (or “Use display screen lock kind to unpin,” with Samsung — ‘motive, smartly, y’know) may be within the on place.
Then simply open up any app you wish to have and head into Android’s Evaluate interface (by means of swiping up from the ground of your display screen with the present Android gesture setup or by means of tapping the square-shaped button on the backside of the display screen with the outdated legacy three-button nav method). Faucet the icon on the most sensible of the cardboard to your present app, and lookie what we now have there: a snazzy new Pin choice!
JRFaucet that dangerous boy, and faucet it excellent. That app will then be locked in position, and to get to the rest, you can first must swipe your finger up from the ground of the display screen and cling it in position for a couple of seconds — after which supply no matter way of unlocking authentication (PIN, development, password, appendage, 14 drops of blood out of your pinky toe, and so forth) is acceptable to proceed.
If you are nonetheless utilizing Android’s outdated three-button nav components, you can as a substitute press the square-shaped Evaluate button to get to the Evaluate interface, and you can press and cling the Again and Evaluate buttons in combination when you are in a position to unpin.
Hidden Android function No. 6: Break up display screen
Whilst we are thinkin’ about that little Evaluate menu, jot this down in your noggin’s chalkboard: That very same house of the running components holds a useful function that I think 99% of Android-carrying creatures utterly fail to remember about on a daily foundation.
The function of which we talk is Android’s long-standing split-screen mode, which helps you to view two apps in your display screen on the identical time. Relying in your tool and explicit Android model, it may well be classified as “Break up most sensible,” “Open in break up display screen view,” or “Splitsy ditsy” (although that final one exists basically in my very own demented man-brain).
Faucet the icon on the most sensible of Evaluate for any app, in finding and faucet that screen-splitting command, then come to a decision which 2d app you wish to have to percentage your display screen — and final however now not least, bask within the glory of your newfound superpowers.
JRWord, too, that during sure scenarios, you’ll if truth be told use break up display screen with two other circumstances of the identical unmarried app. With Chrome, as an example, you’ll view two other tabs in your display screen in combination. And with Gmail, you’ll view an lively e mail draft along side your inbox.
And all you have gotta do is take into account to do it.
Hidden Android function No. 7: Visitor Mode
Again to the app pinning risk from a 2d in the past: If you happen to in point of fact need to stay your tool safe from meddling whilst it is in anyone else’s palms and/or claws, take a minute to reacquaint your self with Android’s clever and practical Guest Mode.
Visitor Mode is principally like an incognito setting for all your cellphone: You simply turn a transfer, say “Wowser bowser, hubba bubba” for excellent measure, after which watch your cellphone shift itself right into a blank-slate state — the place your individual private apps, accounts, and information are all securely tucked away and also you get an out-of-the-box-like enjoy, with handiest the fundamental preinstalled components apps to be had.
No person can get to any of your stuff with out first signing again in as you (and setting up your most well-liked manner of authentication), and not anything achieved in that setting ever has any affect in your same old smartphone setup. It is a lovely robust type of privateness coverage, would not ya say?
It is not, sadly, to be had for the Samsung house owners amongst us, as Samsung has for no obvious reason why opted to take away this same old running components part from its instrument — however for everybody else, observe those 3 fast steps:
- Open up the Device segment of your cellphone’s settings.
- Faucet “More than one customers” — or if you do not see that as an choice, first faucet “Complex” after which search for it. (In case your components settings menu construction is solely utterly other, check out in search of visitor mode throughout the settings house.)
- At the display screen that comes up, be sure the toggle on the most sensible is about within the on place.
After which, every time you wish to have to faucet into your snazzy new Visitor Mode choice, swipe down two times from the highest of your display screen to open your Fast Settings, faucet your person profile image (which is almost certainly only a generic individual icon within the lower-right nook of the panel), after which faucet the “Upload visitor” choice at the display screen that comes up.
When you are in a position to go out out of Visitor Mode and get again to standard, simply open up the Fast Settings panel once more, faucet that person profile image once more, and make a choice “Take away visitor” from the menu that comes up. That’ll erase and reset the whole thing that used to be achieved in that transient profile and take you again for your personal same old setting (as soon as you have put for your PIN, development, or passcode or used your most well-liked appendage to turn out that you are if truth be told you).
Do not omit phase two
Nonetheless hungry for extra remarkable out-of-sight Android options? Mosey your far more than to the second part of this collection, which revolves fully round notification-related improvements.
And when you are in a position to unharness the awe-inspiring energy of all your cellphone’s invisible shortcuts, scoot your boot over to my flavor-filled Android Shortcut Supercourse. It is going to come up with six complete days of eye-opening smartphone sorcery — utterly unfastened, from me to you.
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