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

Skip Voicemail greeting message and more.

Save Google Maps for offline viewing

Navigate to quick toggles with a single swipe

View more + 5 images

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

One of the most universal, but least used feature of smartphones, is the ability to easily call your last contact. So if you last called your mom, simply clicking the dial button (usually green, true story) will directly fill her number in the field. Another click, and you're calling her. We've come to appreciate this feature, especially when we have to operate today's giant Android flagships one-handed.

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47 Comments

1. Duketytz

Posts: 534; Member since: Nov 28, 2013

Wow No. 3 is new to me! Thanks for the tips and tricks, love these kind of articles!

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:26 AM 0

38. AppleHateBoy unregistered

I knew all except 2 and 3. 2 is useless as I don't use voicemail. Thanks for 3. I was wondering how the Offline Maps feature worked.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 12:19 PM 0

39. irbaaz

Posts: 175; Member since: Mar 27, 2014

i know 7 of them.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 12:26 PM 0

41. jroc74

Posts: 6023; Member since: Dec 30, 2010

I knew about all except #2. And turning animations off is one of the first things lots of us learned about when 2.2 came out at this one forum.. 3 isnt as good as how Nokia does it...but Google Maps is getting there.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 3:37 PM 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: 912; 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

44. jroc74

Posts: 6023; Member since: Dec 30, 2010

Yea...Nvidia has been very hit n miss...mostly miss on phones, tablets. I was gonna say hardware too because my RAZR, now Moto G were smooth experiences. Galaxy Nexus wasnt too bad either. People have to realize its like in the PC world. Everyone can have the same software setup....but when when you factor in hardware differences...user experience can very from person to person. Its why you hear very little issues like this from WP and iPhone users. And when you do in WP land...its usually a specific brand....like this Nexus 7 issue.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 7:04 PM 0

6. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

Why all know you're WP fanatic... Why are you trolling here??? Still using gingerbread with 500mb ram huh??

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:37 AM 9

33. AfterShock

Posts: 4146; Member since: Nov 02, 2012

He told us flat out,.. He doesn't troll. Doesn't always tell the truth is applicable.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 9:38 AM 2

37. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

Yeah dude. ..

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 10:34 AM 1

7. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

We all know you're WP fanatic... Why are you trolling here??? Still using gingerbread with 500mb ram huh??

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

19. alterecho

Posts: 1106; Member since: Feb 23, 2012

Is there any tip to make Windows Phone useful? :D

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:45 AM 9

21. shuaibhere

Posts: 1986; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

Lololololol.... You made my day.. but I like what microsoft did withl wp 8.1...

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:48 AM 2

22. NokiaFTW

Posts: 2072; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

This is an Android article dude, don't ask WP related questions here. I'm sure PA will be putting up an article about some tips on WP. You can ask your doubts there. :)

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:50 AM 4

28. SleepingOz unregistered

I'm afraid there's no solution for that. Sadly.. =D

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:53 AM 3

25. SleepingOz unregistered

Guess you're using a crappy low end like the nokia X, 'cause lag is nearly nonexistent on the last year's flagships, especially on KitKat. Even my nearly 2years old Note II is still running perfectly smooth.

posted on Apr 17, 2014, 8:52 AM 2

31. NokiaFTW

Posts: 2072; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

Did you even read my comment? 1. I own a Nexus 7 (2012) which still has a decent quad core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and 1GB of RAM. 2. Even after Google supposedly optimizing KitKat for lower end and older hardware, the lag is persistent. 3. The "crappy low end" Nokia X runs Jelly Bean, not KitKat. 4. My question was not trolling. It was a general query I asked there since I'm fed up of this laggy tablet but I can't afford another one at the moment. Don't mistake me for some of the fandroid trolls who pop up on every WP related article trolling. You'll got a taste of your own medicine. Have a good day.