If you’ve owned an Android device long enough, you’ve probably discovered some of its hidden features of android by accident. For example, did you know that your phone or tablet has an entire hidden file browser? It’s easy to find and use, so let’s take a look at the 20+ hidden features in Android you didn’t know about.
Fingerprint sensor gestures
- As your phone is locked, lightly swipe down on the sensor with your finger to reveal the notification tray. 2. Swipe left or right on the sensor to skip to the previous or next song respectively. 3. Drag down from anywhere on the screen with three fingers to access quick settings and notifications.
Touch sounds
The things that seem the most obvious in life often take up the most room in your brain. Even basic things like touch sounds are more than just beeps and boops to us. Touch has a way of conveying human emotion and nuance, which is why we can tell whether a character is defiant or polite when we tap on them. Having expressive touch feedback would make every one of these features on this list that much more immersive!
Adaptive battery settings
No one likes to have their phone battery die before the end of the day. The most common reason for this is poorly-written software that drains too much battery power in the background, even when you’re not using your phone. Thankfully, there’s a new feature called Adaptive Battery from Android O that helps fix this problem by managing how your apps use the battery on your device. For example, it will automatically put background apps on a shortened feed so they don’t stay awake and eat up all your juice.
But not every phone can get the latest version of Android O and in fact, some users are still waiting for Nougat even though Oreo has been available for over two months now!
Customize Quick Settings
Quick Settings gives you one-tap access to various shortcuts, settings, and utilities. In an instant, you can toggle your flashlight on or off, turn on Do Not Disturb mode, set an alarm, and turn flight mode on or off—all without ever having to enter the main phone app. It’s a little wonder of design that many people don’t realize is there! And it’s even more powerful than it looks: Press and holds any tile to bring up an extended menu with more options.
Smart Pixels
Do you want to be able to snap a selfie without touching your phone’s screen? Smart Pixels let you do just that. If you’re not a fan of the volume buttons being on the back, double-tapping the power button can still make volume adjustments. Forgot how much battery is left in your phone? A quick swipe down from the top left corner will show you that information! And finally, are you like me and find it frustrating when your Bluetooth devices disconnect from each other or turn off randomly? You can now control this with a toggle. To do so, head into Settings > Connected Devices > Other devices and check to Prevent devices from sleeping.
Wake up a timer when the phone is idle
This handy feature can save you from missing important calls when you are on a power nap or catching up on some much-needed sleep. It comes in convenient for those who need to be awoken in the morning for an early appointment and don’t want to rely on their alarm clock or a loud alarm sound that would probably disrupt the whole neighborhood.
You may set this timer by activating the snooze mode. Just press the small arrow to activate it. The timer will turn off once the snooze interval has passed, ensuring your phone doesn’t end up under your pillow while you are dozing off.
Check how much time your apps are using
How many apps do you have on your phone? At first, that might seem like a simple question to answer. But the reality is there’s no easy way to quickly find out. This can make it difficult for users who need to limit their usage, like those with severe sleep problems or who are in recovery from addiction.
Change notification styles
- Push notifications can also be set to Priority by tapping the arrow on the right and choosing Set as Priority from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, go to Settings and select App Notifications, then tap on an app in the list that has push notifications enabled to turn them off.
- How are notification sounds determined? If you’re using a phone that allows different notification sounds for individual apps, you’ll have to change it manually for everyone that needs it–no quick way of changing all your settings with just one toggle switch.
Clear all notifications at once
Since the notifications bar can get really cluttered, you can just open your settings app and clear all of them by tapping Clear All at the top. It’s a handy way to clean up that pesky notification area. Tap the battery icon in your status bar: When in doubt about how much battery life is left, tap on the battery icon in your status bar. A percentage will pop up next to it so you know how much juice is left. The shortcut also tells you when it’s time for a recharge with a little lightning bolt symbol next to it!
Uninstall System Apps with Root access
The best way to deal with a clunky or buggy app is to get rid of it. With the right root access, you can uninstall almost any system application, freeing up precious storage space. Samsung’s TouchWiz firmware, for example, provides the administrator mode that makes this possible, while installing third-party software such as Root Explorer will enable root access on a wider range of devices.
Once you’re in administrative mode on your phone head over to Settings>Apps and select the app you want to remove. From there tap Uninstall and confirm by selecting OK when prompted. The app should be gone!
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