March 2014: Your Android phone is a palm full of wonderful — yet some of the best tricks, tools and tips may still be a secret to you. No longer!
Hop on these useful, time-saving, I-love-my-phone functions that streamline your mobile life. They’re free and at your fingertips.
Here’s our Top 10 list of fast, fabulous functions for Androids running 4.0 or higher:
10. Display your contact info on your home screen in case you lose your phone. Settings > Security > Screen security > Owner info
9. Take a screenshot of your screen (PrintScreen) by holding down the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time.
8. Use your phone as a USB drive. Storage mode is activated when you plug in with a USB cord.
7. Use Android Device Manager to find your phone, even if it’s just between the couch cushions. Also use it to lock or wipe your phone.
6. Create app folders on your home screen by dragging an app icon on top of another — a folder is created automatically. Name it, then load it up.
5. Set the level of auto-correction you prefer in Settings > Personal > Language & Input > Android Keyboard > Text Correction.
4. Get productivity apps from stores other than the Google Play Store, like the Amazon Appstore and Samsung Apps.
3. Google Keep, the free note-taking app.
2. Use home-screen widgets to display live app information without having to open the apps. Not all apps offer widgets but many of the ones you use probably do, like Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Weather Channel, Groupon, Tumblr, Kindle, ESPN and more.
And our favorite fabulous Android function to boost productivity and keep you hopping speedily along, even when you’re traveling out of the country:
1. Use Google Maps offline by saving maps in advance. Just select the area you’d like to cache and type “okay maps” in the search box. Your map will be saved so you can use it later without worrying about having cell service or an Internet connection. It even works in Airplane mode, including zooming in to street level.
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