What secret games are stored on your smartphone?
How can you browse Facebook on your TV?
Find out as we look at Android Phone Functions You Had No Idea Existed.
#11 Grayscale Smartphones can be distracting and disruptive,
especially when trying to catch some shut eye.
One handy trick to keep the dazzling colors from disturbing your beauty sleep is to switch
it all to black and white!
Some phones will have display options in which you can change the color filters on your phone,
but there’s a surefire way to switch to grayscale on any modern Android.
Simply visit your Settings, head to the About phone tab, and then tap your Build Number
multiple times.
This will activate Developer options, a hidden function, that includes the opportunity to
simulate color space!
Simply switch on to Monochromacy and enjoy the dull calm of your smartphone’s new look.
#10 Enhanced Display Staring at screens all day is draining on
the eyes.
This can be doubly true when trying to read emails, articles, or even just your Facebook
feed from a smartphone.
Rather than squinting or pressing your screen up to your nose to make sense of a sentence,
why not just make it all bigger!
The Display menu located within the Settings app will allow you to raise the size of fonts
to varying scales.
This alteration won’t necessary work with all applications, but the majority should
respond, giving your eyes a much easier time.
Though, this change can also cause pages to be much longer and even alter the view required
to read, going from vertical to horizontal and making your scrolling thumb pick up the
slack.
But if your vision’s on the other side of the spectrum, this function has you covered.
The Display size can be adjusted to make fonts smaller as well, allowing you to smoosh many
more words onto the screen for your microscopic viewing pleasure.
#9 Mirror Casting Most people are aware of the ability to broadcast
media like movies and music from your phone to your television thanks to devices like
Chromecast.
But what about browsing your favorite social media accounts or simply surfing the web from
a browser?
Android has you covered as the phones are programmed to do much more than simply broadcast
from specific applications.
Just make sure your smartphone and Chromecast device are connected to the same wi-fi network,
then open the quick settings of your mobile device by swiping down from the top of the
screen.
Here you should find a button labeled “Cast”, and if you don’t see it, simply use the
Pencil button to edit your quick settings options.
Once you choose to “Cast”, find your Chromecast device connected to your television, select
it, and watch in awe as your phone screen becomes super-sized!
Your television will now mirror whatever appears on your phone until you choose to end Casting.
#8 Split Screen Added to Android devices with the update to
the Android 7 Nougat OS in 2016, users may be surprised to learn you can actually run
two apps side by side simultaneously!
The arduous process of flipping back and forth between open applications can grow tedious
and frustrating, especially when attempting to multitask on social media accounts or work
documents.
This function takes the stress away, all with the tap of a button or simple window drag.
One method to access this feature is to open the apps you’d like to use in split screen
mode, then hit the Overview button, also called the app switcher icon, and drag one of the
apps to the top of the screen.
It will lock into place, allowing you to choose a second app to fill in the bottom half of
your screen.
Another option is to merely hold the Overview icon with a long tap, and your open app will
minimize to fill the top half of the screen, once again leaving you open to choose the
second app to fill the bottom half.
Not all apps work with this split screen mode, but a majority of the most popular applications
should function correctly, giving you the multitasking freedom you crave.
#7 Advanced Volume Control Whether rocking out to your favorite playlist
at the gym or catching up on podcasts at work, incessant chimes, alarms, and ringing can
be an unbearable annoyance if left uncheck.
Rather than blocking specific apps to keep from being bombarded with distractions, with
modern androids you can actually take a more moderate approach.
Access the Sounds options in the Settings app to locate the Volume control choices,
where you will find individual sliders meant to adjust various sound sources as you see
fit.
But if you’re in need of a quick switch, simply look for the arrow in the volume pane
when turning the sound up or down with the physical button.
This arrow will expand into the various sliders and let you swiftly silence whatever specific,
irritating cacophony is interrupting your peace.
#6 Find Your IMEI Number Every smartphone has an individual number
code known as its International Mobile Equipment Identity, or IMEI for short.
This IMEI number is pertinent in knowing for some insurance plans, for unlocking a device
to work with other networks, or for blocking a mobile phone from being used when stolen
or lost.
Some phones will have this number located on the back of the device, under the battery,
on the sim-card tray, or even just located within the About Phone section of your settings.
But these areas can be difficult to access or confusing to find.
Instead of having a solitary scavenger hunt on your Android device, you can instead simply
dial *#06# and watch as the IMEI number immediately appears on your screen!
Once found, its recommended to write this number down and store it in a safe place,
just in case your phone goes missing.
#5 Lock Up Options Security is of the utmost concern for most
all smartphone users as they often contain private photos, access to accounts, and even
credit card information, among other confidential data.
To protect against this, phones have long had log-in restrictions, whether they be via
classic pin numbers, dot-graphed swipe patterns, or new technology like thumb prints.
Yet, these can log-in requirements don’t quite get the job done on their own, either
becoming menial tasks when in the comfort of your own home or being useless when having
to lend your device to a friend.
Luckily, Android has taken this into account with two assisting functions.
First is the ability to set your phone to lock based on your location.
Accessing Google’s Smart Lock feature from the Settings app will allow you to not only
select Trusted places by way of GPS, but also Trusted devices for Bluetooth use.
Once set, the phone will no longer lock when these new requirements are met.
The other function is pinning, which you can enable again through the Settings, this time
in the Security option.
Turn on screen pinning and suddenly you can choose to pin an app to the screen after tapping
the Overview button, letting you limit browsing options for anyone using the phone other than
you! #4 Custom Status Bar
The top line of the phone screen is essential in keeping up with the condition of your phone.
Battery power, signal strength, pending notifications, Bluetooth connection, and other factors are
all tracked through this status bar, giving users easy access to their phones vital signs
at any given time.
What many may not realize, though, is that this status bar is surprisingly customizable!
But given the secrecy of accessing the settings required to make the change, it’s no wonder
that more people aren’t aware of this function.
Making these alterations requires accessing a hidden menu called System UI Tuner.
In older versions of the Android operating system, this menu could be found by holding
the gear icon in the Quick Settings pane, but with the update to Android P, this function
was thought to be removed entirely.
Surprisingly, it turns out this function still exists but requires a bit of digging.
Utilizing the widely recommended Nova Launcher app, users can create an “Activities”
widget by selecting the System UI demo mode.
This will allow to choose which icons do and don’t appear atop your phone screen.
#3 One Handed Mode Mobile devices have altered vastly over the
years, going from the large, brick-like machines connected to cars and satchels of the 1990s
to the ultra small flip-phones of the early 2000s.
In the past decade or so, smartphones have begun growing large once again, this time
focusing on screen size with many new devices seeming more like small tablets than telephones.
To help navigate these increasingly large screens, especially when juggling a coffee,
dog leash, or other hand-held distraction, Android has created a special one-handed mode!
Some phones, like Pixel and Nexus devices, come with this option installed and even set
as the default option.
But if you own a Samsung or LG phone, depending on how old it is, this keyboard might not
be available until you download Google’s keyboard.
Some phones will allow you to turn the One-Handed Mode on through the Advanced Features located
in your settings, but others may make you access the Google keyboard, make it your default
choice, then hold onto the backslash key.
This will let you choose to pin your keyboard to either the left or right side of your screen
to match the comfort of your preferred browsing hand!
#2 Hidden Games Android enjoys sneaking secret surprises into
their operating systems, giving users a fun bonus...if they know where to look, that is.
Despite switching up the contents of the Easter Egg with each new iteration, the way to access
them remains the same.
Navigate to the About Phone page within your settings and locate the Android version section.
Tap on it repeatedly and within moments a screen displaying your Android version will
appear.
Then just tap or hold the screen to unlock further functions, often some sort of mini-game.
This feature has been around since Android’s Gingerbread OS, which added a photo and painting
game in 2010.
Other games from past systems include a jelly bean game, flappybird style games, a cat-catching
game, and more.
The latest version, Android 9 Pie, features an interactive letter “P” that mesmerizes
as it changes shades and zooms in and out before leading to a drawing app hidden even
deeper!
#1 Do Not Disturb No one wants to constantly be bothered and
inundated with notifications in the twilight hours of the night.
But instead of hassling with the daily ritual of silencing your phone each time, you can
customize which notifications are cleared to chime in on a timetable of your choosing!
Use the Do Not Disturb function to schedule periods where you know you’ll want your
phone silent, to prioritize the notifications that matter most, or to accept calls and texts
from only the most important of contacts.
With this setting, you can plan out an entire week of scheduled peace and quiet without
having to worry about missing any emergencies simply by tailoring it to fit your specific
needs.