Have you just bought a fresh new Android phone? Or did you get one as a gift during the holidays? You might need some help getting acclimated to the interface or learning how to make the most of your new purchase. That’s exactly what you’ll learn in this paper! Whether you’ve switched from the dark side and are new to Android or are simply upgrading from an older model, we’ll tell you the first 10 things you should do with a new Android phone to ensure you get the greatest experience. So take your phone, relax, and follow these simple instructions to totally customise your smartphone.
1. Use your Google Account to log in.
Many of the services available on an Android phone require a Google account because Android is controlled by Google. A Google account is required to install apps, access Google services such as Gmail and YouTube, and sync your data to the cloud. The setup procedure will begin when you power on your brand new Android phone for the first time. After you’ve filled in the essentials, such as your Wi-Fi password, move on to the next step.
You’ll be prompted to sign in using your Google Account on the device. If you already have an ID and were using it on an older device, it’s best to sign in with it. You’ll be able to transfer data between your old and new smartphones, as well as restore a cloud backup.
During the setup process, you’ll be prompted to establish a Google Account if you don’t already have one. While you can skip this step and create one later, it’s highly recommended that you do so now because practically everything you do on your phone after that will require a Google account. You can sign into multiple accounts if you have separate IDs for personal and work use. During the setup process, you can also access your other email accounts, such as Yahoo or Microsoft.
Your Gmail ID will be used to synchronise your data across all of your devices, which might be very useful. When you save a contact on your Android phone, it is synchronised with your Google Account, which you may access from any device. You can sign in with your Google ID on all of your devices, including your wristwatch and Android TV, for a consistent experience.
2. Transfer Data or Restore a Backup from an Older Phone
You can transfer all of your previous data to your new Android phone if you’re upgrading from an older smartphone, whether Android or iPhone. It includes all of your apps, photographs, videos, files, contacts, and messages. This is an excellent way to ensure that all of your data is saved even if you swap phones, and that you don’t lose any important photographs or contacts.
If you don’t have access to your old phone, you can restore a backup from Google’s servers. Google will back up and transfer data from your old phone, including pre-installed apps, call logs, device settings, and more, if you had auto-backup activated on it. You may restore the backup on your new Android phone by logging in with the same Google Account as your old phone and selecting the device from which you want to restore the backup.
Several OEMs that offer custom user interfaces on phones also include proprietary data transfer software that you may use to transfer your data from your old phone to your new one. Although the instructions differ by phone, they are simple to follow and will be displayed on the screen during the setup process.
3. Add Launchers, Icon Packs, Widgets,and Wallpapers to your Home screen.
Because Android is known for its customization features, it only makes sense that you use them to their full extent. If you want to customise the way your phone’s software looks to reflect your unique style, start by customising your home screen. This screen will appear as soon as you open your device. It must be appealing because it is the first screen you view when you open an app.
The simplest approach to improve the look of your home screen is to choose a beautiful wallpaper. Many wallpaper apps available on the Play Store allow you to get amazing wallpapers for your home screen. Use a wallpaper with a black backdrop if your phone has an OLED display because it will look great and save you some battery life.
After you’ve changed the backdrop, you might want to acquire a matching icon set. A stunning wallpaper mixed with a complementing icon set is the secret to a good-looking home screen. If you have a dark wallpaper, a white icon set will create a lot of contrast and give you a monochrome impression.
If you want to go any farther, you may use a custom launcher to change additional minor aspects of your home screen, such as the app grid and app drawer. You may change the background of folders, add swipe gestures to perform specific tasks, and even change the transition effects between home screens. The simplest way to learn about all of the features is to download these apps and try them out for yourself before selecting which one is right for you. You have an almost infinite number of permutations and combinations to try on your home screen, so have fun.
4. Remove any bloatware installed by your carrier or OEM.
Depending on which phone you choose and where you buy it, your new Android phone may come with pre-installed apps that you don’t need. These programmes are referred to as bloatware. This is owing to the fact that they take up space on your phone and use resources that could otherwise be allocated to apps you actually use. As a result, it’s a good idea to delete all of the apps you don’t use on your phone.
Some pre-installed apps can be uninstalled by default, while others that are particular to a carrier or OEM may not. You can also uninstall those apps by following our article on how to uninstall carrier and OEM bloatware. It is typically recommended that you install and keep only the apps that you need and use on your phone. Any programmes you don’t use should be uninstalled.
5. Change the navigational style
Until Android 9 Pie, Android featured a three-button navigation bar to go back, home, and access recent apps. Because of evolving phone designs and an emphasis on edge-to-edge displays, most Android phones now use gestures as their default navigation method. Despite the convenience of gestures, some users may still prefer the classic bottom-of-the-screen navigation bar with buttons. If you’re coming from an iPhone, you might prefer motions to buttons. You can try both in either scenario and then decide which one to maintain.
Go to the Settings app on your phone and tap the search bar at the top. Now type navigation into the search box to view results such as System navigation and Gestures, or something similar. The name of the setting may vary based on whatever Android skin you’re using, but it should be the same across all devices. You may then play around with the navigation bar and gestures to see which one works best for you.
6. Make Quick Toggles your own
On Android, you’ll find a few toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode, and other features at the top of the screen when you drag down the notification bar. They’re recognised for their quick toggles. Dragging down again should expand this area and provide other toggles for a variety of various options and features. This is the area that, regardless of the programme you’re using, may be easily accessible whenever you need to change a configuration. As a result, altering it to show only the toggles you use the most will make your experience better.
To do so, first swipe down on the notification bar, then swipe down again to show all of the quick toggles. Multiple toggles are arranged in a random order here. You’ll find an Edit option next to the Settings button, or a group of three dots that you may press to access the Edit Buttons/Layout option, in the top right corner of this screen.
By tapping on it, you can rearrange your toggles in whatever sequence you like. The first few toggles appear on the first row when you move the notification bar down once. These should ideally be the toggles you use the most. The first five toggles you can configure are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mobile Data, Flashlight, Auto-rotation, and Battery Saver. These are the ones I use the most, therefore I prefer to list them first.
You may also swipe through several pages and add more toggles in the rapid settings panel. I’ve included a button to turn on and off all of my smart lights, as well as a toggle to activate Shazam, which can detect what song is playing in the background. From the list of available toggles, you can add whichever toggles you find useful to the fast settings panel.
7. Increase the animation speed by 0.5 times.
Smartphone CPUs have recently grown extremely fast, so regardless of which phone you buy, you should be able to get decent performance at least when completing simple chores from it. This, in combination with a high-refresh-rate display, such as a 90Hz or 120Hz panel, ensures a smooth user experience. There is, however, a simple trick that could make your Android smartphone experience even better. It’s a basic trick that’s been around for a long time and continues to work.
On every phone, animated components can be seen across the user interface. Whether you’re opening an app or switching between multiple programmes, there are animations in between each action. On the other hand, those animations can make your phone feel a little slow. This solution allows you to speed up the animations, making the experience more responsive.
All you have to do is go to Settings > About Phone and tap seven times on Build Number. This will enable Developer Options on your Android phone. Now go to Developer Choices and scroll down to the three options listed below: Animator duration, window animation, and transition animation scales
By touching on all of these options, you may change the Animation scale to 0.5X. You should notice that animations are now faster and your phone is more snappy and responsive after rebooting it. Note that this does not actually speed up your phone; nevertheless, your brain is fooled into believing it does because the animations now stop faster.
8. Turn on Dark Mode
OLED panels may now be found on a wide range of smartphones. One of the advantages of reading information on an OLED panel is the deep blacks and excellent contrast levels. This is accomplished by turning off all pixels in the area where black is displayed. As a result, battery life is conserved because the pixels are turned off and no power is required to run that portion of the display. This is also why, if you have a phone with an OLED display, a dark wallpaper is recommended.
This is also why you should use Dark Mode on your Android phone. There are two significant advantages to doing so. If your phone has an OLED display, you’ll get a little extra battery life. Even if it’s not significant, a 10% increase should be good. Second, dark mode is more pleasant to the eyes, especially at night. A bright, white background can be distracting, particularly if you frequently use your phone in the dark.
Go to Settings > Display > Theme > Dark on your Android phone to enable Dark Mode. The specific setting will vary depending on whatever device you have, but it should be found in the Settings app’s Display section.
9. Create a Digital Wellbeing Plan
Setting time limits for specific apps and keeping track of how often and for what you’ve used your phone is a smart way to manage your phone usage with Digital Wellbeing. If you’re addicted to social networking apps or games on your phone, this is a great method to stay away from it and set boundaries.
In the Settings app on your phone, go down to Digital Wellbeing. You should be able to access detailed information on how and for how long you used your phone right here. You may set a screen time goal, set app timers after which an app can no longer be opened, and even add focus and bedtime modes to keep yourself away from your phone before bed. A digital detox is important from time to time, and Digital Wellbeing allows you to do just that.
10. Connect your Android phone to a PC running
Windows.
The ease with which an iPhone and a Mac work together is one of the most tempting aspects of utilising the two devices together. You can use your Mac to make iPhone calls, respond to iMessages, and even copy and paste from your iPhone to your Mac. You’d be surprised to hear that the Your Phone software allows you to do something similar on your Android phone and on a Windows PC.
Simply download the Your Phone Companion app from the Play Store and follow the on-screen directions to connect your phone to your Windows PC. You’ll be able to receive notifications from your phone on your PC, instantly copy files, share a clipboard, and so on after that. The computer integration is significantly better if you have a Samsung phone because you get more features.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your beautiful new Android phone to work! Customize the device and take advantage of all of the fundamental recommendations to get the most out of it. Which of these concepts piqued your interest the most? Please share your thoughts in the section below.
1 comment
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.