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Top tips and essential tricks for your new Android phone or tablet

The new owner's guide to Google gear

Top tips and essential tricks for your new Android phone or tablet
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Made-up statistics suggest that approximately 16 squillion people will receive an Android phone or tablet this Christmas.

That should mean there are a whole lot of happy punters come Christmas Day, given the platform's giant steps forward in terms of intuitiveness, performance, and downright sexiness in recent years.

However, Android is still undoubtedly the most nuanced, complex, and just plain tricky mobile OS of the big three (the other two being iOS and Windows Phone). We're not saying it's difficult to use - just a little more difficult than the others.

The flip side of that is that there are loads of cool things you can do with Android devices that you can't with others, and it's also the most customisable OS around. Oh, and did we mention that its games library is pretty awesome now, too? Well, it is.

With all that in mind, we thought we'd supply you with some tips on how to get the best out of your Android device. Some are basic, some are pretty minor, but all will subtly enhance your experience once you know about them.

We should point out that your experience will vary depending on the manufacturer of your Android phone or tablet. Most of these tips, however, can be applied across the range of Android hardware.


Close an app

Well, this is a bit silly. You just hit the 'Home' button, right? No. That doesn't actually close an app on Android; it just puts it into stasis in the background.

Just open the multitasking menu (either press a dedicated button or hold down the 'back' or 'Home' button) for proof. See? There's your app, sat in the exact same condition in which you left it.

This is just fine. In fact, it's more than fine; it's downright useful for flicking between multiple apps at will. But sometimes you want to close an app right down. It might be misbehaving, or you may just want to free up all of your system resources for a graphically rich or unstable game.

To do so, just open up that multitasking menu again and swipe the app away. It's now properly closed.


Restart your Android

Restarting your Android phone is as simple as pressing and holding the 'power' button, then selecting the appropriate option. If your phone properly freezes up, though - as all computing devices do from time to time - you'll need to perform a physical reset.

Some phones, such as many of those made by Samsung, have removable batteries, which leaves you with a fairly simple way to restart your hung phone. An increasing number of Android devices don't have removable batteries, though, on account of their solid 'unibody' designs. Tablet makers, too, tend to omit this option.

There is a way to replicate the battery removable effect, but it tends to vary from device to device, so you'll need to experiment. One common method is to hold the power and volume down keys simultaneously for a few seconds until the phone restarts.

You can also try holding the power key and the complete volume key (up and down).


Take screenshots

You can take a quick grab of the current screen on every 'droid phone. Why would you want to do this?

It comes in extremely handy for us mobile games and tech journalists, of course, but it has applications beyond that. It's handy for sharing special gaming moments with friends, or for relaying any technical issues you might be having to manufacturers or network operators.

As with resetting your phone, the process of taking screenshots differs depending on the manufacturer and model. For most devices, though, it's actually very similar to the reset method - just press the power and volume down keys at the same time until you hear a camera shutter sound. It should be almost instantaneous.

With other phones, you have to press the 'Home' and 'power' buttons simultaneously.

Some devices will also boast dedicated virtual screenshot commands, either stashed in the power down menu (press and hold the power button) or somewhere in the notification bars.


Save battery life

Android vendors have improved the power efficiency of their blowers considerably in recent years, but these portable powerhouses still tend to suck the juice out of your battery if you're not careful. That's what happens when you've got all of those bells and whistles operating in the background.

Our usual advice applies here. The average new Android phone has a large, bright, and extremely sharp display, which sucks more power than anything. So, lowering the brightness setting to around the halfway mark is a good way to save power without sacrificing usability.

Turn off wi-fi when you're out and about, but make sure it's switched on when you're at home. Believe it or not, surfing the web over a 3G network signal is generally more of a battery drain than it is over a wi-fi network.

Also, check that Bluetooth is only switched on when you're actually using it.

Finally, do you need your phone on overnight? If not, turn it off. If you use an alarm, remember to flick the phone into airplane mode before you turn in.


Change the launcher

If you weren't lucky enough to get a Nexus device - or just didn't fancy those utilitarian looks - then you might eventually tire of your new Android phone's sluggish or ugly UI. Yep, 'droid manufacturers still seem to think that they know best when it comes to OS design.

None of them does. But don't worry: there's an easy way to completely overhaul how your device looks and operates.

Given the openness of the Android platform, you can just download a new launcher from the Google Play Store. Think of a launcher as a cross between an app and a new home screen.

We'd recommend taking a look at Apex or Nova if you fancy some of that stock Android look and feel (with added customisation). Buzz, meanwhile, is the exciting new kid on the block for those who want something completely fresh and malleable yet still slick and intuitive.


Add widgets

There's an even simpler way to customise the look and feel of your Android, and it doesn't require any fancy downloads.

The key thing separating Android and iOS is widgets.

Widgets are basically advanced app icons with glanceable and even partially interactive information. So, for example, you can have a calendar widget that displays your next appointment, or a weather widget that displays, well, the weather.

You can also often set up a power control widget, which provides shortcut controls for wi-fi, GPS, and the like without your having to trawl through the settings menu every time (although many Android manufacturers include similar features in the notification menu these days).

The beauty of Android is that you can re-size many of these widgets to fit in various nooks and crannies of your home screen, as well as to display varying amounts of information.

To place a widget on one of your home screens, just press and hold on a blank space and select 'Widgets'.


Get a refund on apps

The Google Play Store has the largest library of apps in the world. Yep, even more than Apple's iOS App Store. The trouble is, there's a far higher number of duds and fakes in Google's online marketplace than in Apple's.

Needless to say, you're probably going to find yourself purchasing a couple of stinkers over the length of your phone contract. Fear not, though. There's a way to get your money back more or less instantly.

If you realise you've made a bit of a boo-boo with your latest app purchase, don't worry. You have 15 minutes in which to secure a full refund.

All you have to do is go back to the product page for the offending app on the Google Play Store, and you'll see the option for a refund. Be quick, though!

Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.