9 universal Android tips and tricks that you probably didn't know about

posted by Chris P.

Apr 17, 2014, 8:18 AM

9 universal Android tips and tricks that you probably didn't know about

Oh, Android, you so full of surprises! And we're being honest here, too. Despite having access to a never-ending supply of Android handsets from vendors from all around the globe, it seems like we get to learn something new about the complex OS every few weeks or so.

Unfortunately, these usually come in the form of a splinter of knowledge that quickly gets lost in the depths of our minds. Like a needle in a bale of hay. But for this pick, we went back a few years, and tried to combine these pockets of trickery into a singular pick, while also trying to keep this simple and accessible to as many of you as possible. What's more, we've also made the effort to only include stuff that you can actually make practical use of, though that doesn't necessarily mean we've lost our impish charm.

Find below the 9 Android tricks that we've compiled for you -- you're likely to find at least a few that you didn't know about, and at least some of those could easily end up as a part of your daily routine.

9 universal Android tricks that you probably didn't know about

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47 Comments

47. Augustine

Posts: 1043; Member since: Sep 28, 2013

I was quite disappointed at not being able to cache map areas in the new Google Maps app. I'm glad to be able to cache aeas again, even if, instead of the previous menu option, it's now a rather involved shorthand.

posted on Apr 20, 2014, 6:37 PM 0

46. mrblah

Posts: 577; Member since: Jan 22, 2013

i knew 8 of them

posted on Apr 18, 2014, 8:18 AM 0

43. illiad

Posts: 132; Member since: Feb 07, 2012

well there is an odd thing about googlemaps.. it needs 'location data' available to find your location.. :/ BUT a 'bus finder' App, does NOT need this to find your location!! 'londontransportfree' & 'simple london bus' (cwlee.londonbus) find my location to a few feet, with ONLY GPS on.. Its a shame google has to lie about what is needed!!

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 5:19 PM 2

40. networkdood

Posts: 6330; Member since: Mar 31, 2010

Wake me up when a real story with real ANDROID tips is present....

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 12:44 PM 0

36. av911 unregistered

#4 That's why I prefer Touchwiz. You can edit your 5 most used toggles and see your notifications on the same screen.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 10:18 AM 0

45. networkdood

Posts: 6330; Member since: Mar 31, 2010

I get a bunch more by just scrolling right..but it is nice...

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 7:52 PM 0

30. SellPhones82

Posts: 569; Member since: Dec 11, 2008

Oh I'm going to have to use that last one this weekend on a few people! It makes the phones look all kinds of messed up!

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 9:01 AM 0

24. AJmeBOY

Posts: 34; Member since: Dec 16, 2011

Tips to have included: screen shot, double tap home button shortcut, turning on/off Google Now hotword detection (reduces lag!), drag and drop apps into folders, rename folders, and moving apps to an SD card to free phone memory.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:52 AM 0

27. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

You would have made a better article than PA... Lol...

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:53 AM 1

12. shareeff

Posts: 20; Member since: Nov 07, 2012

3 and 4

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:38 AM 0

8. XperiaFanZone

Posts: 2282; Member since: Sep 21, 2012

3. Bring back latitude! 4. I did not know that!

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:37 AM 1

3. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

I only found 1st one to be useful....

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:32 AM 1

5. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

I thought the article will be interesting...but it is just plain....most of em are basic things..

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:35 AM 1

11. XperiaFanZone

Posts: 2282; Member since: Sep 21, 2012

Still a fan of the IPL?

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:38 AM 1

14. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

Yup...why not??? just fixing of three players won't stop me from watching the "THE BIGGEST CRICKET FESTIVAL"

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:40 AM 2

15. NokiaFTW

Posts: 2072; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

It has gotten super boring in the last couple of years. I'm waiting for the FIFA World Cup in June. :D

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:40 AM 0

17. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

Your fav team isn't winning huh??? Btw me too waiting for FIFA world cup...I'll support SPAIN...

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:44 AM 1

20. NokiaFTW

Posts: 2072; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

I support Mumbai dude since I live here, and to my knowledge they won last year. But yeah I'm also supporting Spain in the World Cup :D

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:47 AM 0

23. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

You can see who I'm supporting from my avatar...most successful IPL team...

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:50 AM 0

26. NokiaFTW

Posts: 2072; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

Dhoni! The best captain the world has ever produced. Any team he captains becomes successful. :)

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:52 AM 0

29. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

That's why I'm chennai fan... Even though I live in chennai I would support the team which dhoni plays for...luckily he plays for chennai...

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:55 AM 0

2. NokiaFTW

Posts: 2072; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

Is there any tip to reduce the lag? :D

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:29 AM 4

4. Chris.P

Posts: 567; Member since: Jun 27, 2013

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Top-10-Android-performance-apps-and-tips-that-will-speed-up-your-device_id45857#4-WatchDog Still relevant

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:35 AM 3

9. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

He is trolling....

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:37 AM 10

13. NokiaFTW

Posts: 2072; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

I ain't trolling. That was a general question asked there. Don't mistake me for some of the fandroids on the site.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:39 AM 4

10. NokiaFTW

Posts: 2072; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

Thanks a lot Chris. I try these tips to speed up my Nexus 7.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:38 AM 3

16. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

Lag in nexus 7????

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:41 AM 4

18. NokiaFTW

Posts: 2072; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

Yes, my Nexus 7 (2012) lags alot, even after the KitKat update. That's all despite having a quad core processor and a gig of RAM.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:45 AM 4

34. Reluctant_Human

Posts: 914; Member since: Jun 28, 2012

@NokiaFTW I've had the same issues with the original Nexus 7 as well. The trick is to leave some some memory open. For some reason it starts lagging after you use up most of the memory. Very annoying issue. If you have an issue charging since the update like I have had there is also a weird fix. Just unplug and replug the USB from the charger while it's plugged in. @shuaibhere It's a legitimate gripe. You can google it and see people complaining about it all over the internet so your petty name calling is pointless makes you the troll in this case.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 9:43 AM 2

42. Berzerk000

Posts: 4275; Member since: Jun 26, 2011

Having a quad core processor doesn't always guarantee good performance, that's true for any OS. The Tegra 3 in the 2012 Nexus 7 was the worst quad core processor to come out that year, it was even beaten by Qualcomm's dual core Snapdragon S4 Plus in CPU and GPU tests. That's Nvidia's problem.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 3:45 PM 2

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