40 Smartphone tips & tricks

Smartphones have become an essential part of our lives, and with the right strategies, you can make sure that your phone is working for you. We'll look at helpful tips and tricks that can help improve both productivity and leisure time when using a smartphone.

Unlock the Potential of Your Smartphone

1: Disable/Uninstall Bloatware: Most smartphones come with pre-loaded apps that you don’t want. You can get rid of them, to disable or uninstall bloatware on an Android smartphone, follow these steps:

    Go to Settings >Apps or Apps & notifications.

You get a list of apps; find the app you want to force stop/disable or uninstall and select it.

    If you want to force stop/disable the app, tap "Force stop/Disable." If you want to uninstall the app, tap "Uninstall."

    Confirm the action and follow any additional steps if prompted.

Note: Some apps may not be able to be disabled or uninstalled as they are system apps that are essential for the proper functioning of the device.

2: Manage Default Apps:

While using your phone, you might get some popups asking to set a default app, but what if you don’t like that default app? To change or manage default apps on an Android smartphone, follow these steps:

    Go to Settings > Apps & notifications.

Tap “Default apps”or "Advanced" and then "Default apps."

    Select the type of default app you want to change, such as the default web browser, phone app, or SMS app.

    Choose the app you want to use as the default.

Note: The steps may vary slightly based on the device model and Android version.

3: Use Digital Wellbeing Features: Out of 24 hours, we should get proper rest of around 7 to 8 hours in the night. Its not the heathy practice to stay up all night texting and doomscrolling(Opens in a new window). The Digital Wellbeing feature lets you silence your phone at a set time, it also changes the screen to black-and-white, in case you do have to look at the screen after hours.

To use Digital Wellbeing features on an Android smartphone, follow these steps:

    Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.

Here you can find different options to choose from, depending on your phone UI, for instance Bedtime mode, Focus mode, etc. Choose the right options and follow the instructions.

    Once set up, you'll see the Digital Wellbeing dashboard which will show your usage statistics and patterns.

Note: Availability of Digital Wellbeing features may vary based on the device model and Android version.

4: Digital Wellbeing – Focus Mode: While working on your project, you require complete focus on your task. Focus mode silences apps’ notifications. To use Digital Wellbeing’s Focus modefeatures on an Android smartphone, follow these steps:

    Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > Focus Mode

5: Split-screen mode: Most Android smartphones support split-screen or multi window mode. This lets you work on two apps simultaneously. To use split-screen mode, simply open the first app and then press and hold the recent apps button to choose a second app to run alongside it. This can be useful for multitasking, such as checking your email while watching a video, or for copy-pasting between different apps.

5: Screen recording feature: The built-in screen recording feature allows you to record a video of what's happening on your screen. This can be useful for creating tutorials or for troubleshooting issues with your phone.

To use the screen recording feature on an Android smartphone, follow these steps:

    Pull down the Quick Settings panel from the top of the screen.

    Look for the screen recording icon (a camera with a dot) and tap it.

    Depending on your device, you may be prompted to grant permission for the device to record audio and video.

    Once you've granted permission, you'll see a countdown, and then the recording will start.

    To stop the recording, pull down the Quick Settings panel again and tap the screen recording icon.

Note: Availability of the screen recording feature may vary based on the device model and Android version. Some devices may not have the feature built-in, in which case you can download a screen recording app from the Google Play Store.

6: Voice assistant: All android phones come with a built-in voice assistant - Google Assistant, which can help you perform tasks, set reminders, and even control other smart devices in your home.

7: Identify objects, text, and more: using Google Lens, you can identify objects and text, scan QR codes, and even translate text. It can be accessed through the Google Assistant or Google Photos app.

8: Fast app-switching: Are you using gesture control, then you can switch quickly from one to other app. Flick your finger toward the right anywhere along that bottom-of-screen area. That'll snap you back to your most recently used app faster. From there, you can click flick again toward the right to go back another step in your app-using history or flick to the left to snap back in the other direction.The farther you swipe and the higher you go, the more apps you'll see — all in the order of when you last used them.

9: App shortcuts

These shortcuts are completely hidden, and you use them you need to just press and hold on the app icon. Then you would get some useful options within an app without having to go through the typical process of opening it up, hunting around through its menus, and tapping multiple commands to get where you want to go.

This features works with most apps including Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and shopping apps like Flipkart and Amazon, etc.

10: Live Caption:

Live Caption can come handy for practically anyone on a day-to-day basis. You can see what a video or podcast is saying. No matter what type of phone you're using, though, remember: The Live Caption option will only show up and work when some manner of sound is being played.

To enable Live Caption on an Android smartphone, follow these steps:

    Go to Settings > Sound & vibration.

    Scroll down to the "Accessibility" section.

    Tap "Live Caption."

    Turn on the "Live Caption" toggle switch.

Note: Availability of Live Caption may vary based on the device model and Android version. In some devices, you may find Live Caption in the Accessibility settings under a different name. The feature may also require a data connection to function.

11:Smart security: Most ofsmartphones have a security feature that lets you set up security measures such as facial recognition, fingerprint scanner, or passcode to keep your phone and data secure.

12: Privacy: When you add a new app, it asks for different permissions, including storage, contact, and location, etc.Using the “Privacy” feature, you can control the privacy settings on your phone. This can help keep your data and personal information secure.

13: Screen Pinning:If someone asks for your phone for a quick call or some other things, but you don’t want him/her snooping around in other apps, use the “Screen Pinning” feature. When you pin an app, you can protect switching apps by requiring your phone PIN.

To enable screen pinning on an Android smartphone, follow these steps:

    Go to Settings > Security & location > Screen pinning.

    Turn on the "Screen pinning" toggle switch.

    Open the app you want to pin to the screen.

    Tap the Overview button (the square button on the navigation bar).

    Find the app you want to pin and tap the pin icon (usually represented by a thumb tack or push pin).

    The device will display a message indicating that the screen is pinned and how to exit pinned mode.

Note: Availability of the screen pinning feature may vary based on the device model and Android version.

14: Guest mode: When you want to give access to your phone but not your personal information, then you can use “Guest Mode.”

To enable Guest mode on an Android smartphone, follow these steps:

    Go to Settings > Users & accounts > Users.

    Tap "Add guest."

    The device will switch to Guest mode, and you will see a message indicating that you are in Guest mode.

In guest mode, only default Android apps appear, so you don’t have to worry about your guest sending a Facebook post or tweet for your account.

Note: Availability of the Guest mode feature may vary based on the device model and Android version. In some devices, you may have to navigate to Settings > Security & location > Screen pinning to find the Guest mode option.

15: Share Emergency Medical Info on Your Phone’s Screen: In the event of an emergency, sharing medical information, such as allergies and blood type, for first responders can be a lifesaver. These info can be accessible even when your phone is locked.

To enable Emergency Medical Info on an Android smartphone, follow these steps:

    Go to Settings > Security & location > Personal info.

    Tap "Emergency information."

    Enter the information you want to be displayed in case of an emergency, such as your name, blood type, medical conditions, and emergency contacts.

    You can also add a profile picture that will be displayed on the lock screen.

16: Find my phone:Whether you lost your phone or someone stolen it. You can use "find my phone" feature to locate your phone. This feature can also allow you to remotely wipe the data from your phone if it's not recoverable.

To use the Find My Phone feature on an Android smartphone, follow these steps:

    Go to the Android Device Manager website (https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager) and log in with your Google account.

    Locate your device on the map.

    If your device is turned on and connected to the internet, you can use the following options:

    Play Sound: This will make your phone ring at full volume for 5 minutes, even if it's set to silent or vibrate.

    Lock: This will lock your phone and display a message on the lock screen with your contact information.

    Erase: This will erase all data on your phone, including apps, settings, and personal data.

Note: To use the Find My Phone feature, you must have the feature turned on and your device must be connected to the internet. You can turn on the feature in the Google settings on your device.

17: Protect your eyes from harmful blue lights:

Studies show that blue lights trigger the nervous system to be more wakeful, but it can be harmful for your eyes too. You can reduce the blue light and cut the glare, you can even schedule a stretch of time for the feature to automatically activate.

Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Light or Eye Comfort

18: Make Text and Icons Easier to Read:

You can increase the size of fonts and icons, there’s no need to squint to read texts and emails on your phone.

To increase the text size - Go to Settings > Personalization > Font & Display size

Now you can slide the dot to adjust the text size. Also, you can adjust the display size as per your comfort.

19:Keep an eye on your child or elderly:

Both, children and the elderly, need your attention. Using a simple ‘Family Link’ app you can track your loved ones. Whether your child is going to school or your parents going out for a walk. You can use the location-tracking technology embedded in their smartphones to monitor their travels. Not only this, but you can also do a lot on Google’s Family Link app.

You can also track the screen time and apps used, moreover, you can disable apps that are not relevant to them.

20: Scan Documents: Scan any document or receipt using Google Drive to digitize or to make it text-searchable. Just follow the below-mentioned steps –

Open the Google Drive app > tap the plus (+) sign > Scan > now take a photo of the document.

It gives you options to crop the image, change it from black and white to color, rotate it, and add pages if you’d like.

21: Magnify Small Type:

You can use your phone’s camera as a magnifier to read books or any text. To turn your camera into a magnifier, follow the below-mentioned steps –

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Magnification > and turn on the Magnification shortcut.

22: Have Your Phone Read to You:

Your phone can read the content on your screen out loud, whether that’s a text message, email, or newspaper article. You just need to enable text-to-speak feature.

To enable text-to-speak, follow the steps mentioned below –

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Select to Speak.

Depending on your version of Android, a small icon of a person or a speech bubble will appear on the screen in any app; tap it and the phone begins reading.

23: Bring back lost notifications: Do you miss important notifications, don’t worry you can bring them back again. Tap and hold on an empty part of the home screen, and a screen-adjusting mode will pop up. Choose Widgets, and find the Settings shortcut.

Drag and drop the setting icon to an empty space on your home screen, and a list will automatically pop up. Choose Notification log from the list and tap the icon to open up Android’s notification history.

24: Activate one-handed mode: As phones become large in screen size, it’s hard to operate one-handed. Typing is one of the major challenges,  but not with Google’s custom keyboard. You can enable a special one-handed mode.

Open up the Gboard as normal and tap and hold on the comma key. Drag up to the right-hand icon to enable one-handed mode.

25:Access Your Phone on Windows:

Using the “Link to Windows” app on your phone and “Phone Link” on your Windows 10 or 11, you can connect your laptop to your mobile. It will take a few moments to setup and connect both devices, then you can read messages, send replies, access your media, and more.

26: Increase the Screen Refresh Rate for better gaming experience:

As you know, higher the screen refresh rate, the better visual experience. Its not only ab out gaming but for overall screen experience. Most of phones support higher refresh rate but by default they setup for lower to save battery. You can change the setting for the highest possible to enhance your gaming experience.

To increase the screen refresh rate on Android:

    Check if your device supports a higher refresh rate (e.g. 90Hz or 120Hz)

    Go to the device's "Settings" app

    Tap on "Display" or "Screen"

    Look for "Refresh rate" or "Adaptive refresh rate" option

    Select the highest available refresh rate

Note: Not all Android devices have the option to increase the refresh rate, and some apps may not support the higher refresh rate.

27: Turn Off Force 4x: Without any doubt, this setting can greatly enhances the visual quality of your games. But unfortunately, this setting significantly worsens the gaming performance, if your smartphone's processor isn't powerful enough.

It would be better to turn it off for a smoother gaming experience. Moreover, you will get better battery life. As all phones won’t be able to support Force 4x.

To turn off the Off Force 4x –

Settings >About phone>Build number seven times to enable developer mode.

Head back to the main settings menu and tap System>Developer options>>Force 4x MSAA >toggle it off.

28: Remove junk files: Storage plays an important role in performance. The higher the unnecessary files you store, the slower your phone gets. Especially, when your phone is getting low on storage space. Most phones collect junk content from many sources. Your uninstalled apps' leftovers, old media files, and other unused documents are all part of this junk. You should remove them from your phone to enhance the overall performance.

You can actually use a built-in feature on many Android phones to find unused files and safely delete them from the phone. Here's how you find and use this feature:

To remove junk from an Android phone:

    Uninstall unused apps: Go to "Settings" > "Apps" and find the unused apps to uninstall.

    Clear app cache: Go to "Settings" > "Apps" and select the app you want to clear cache for. Tap on "Storage" > "Clear Cache".

    Delete large files: Go to "Files" app and find large files such as videos or audio files to delete.

    Use a cache cleaner app: Download and run a cache cleaner app like CCleaner or Clean Master.

    Factory reset: If the phone is still slow after the above steps, you can factory reset the device to clear all data and settings. Go to "Settings" > "System" > "Reset" > "Factory Data Reset".

Note: Backup important data before performing a factory reset.

29: Enable Dolby Atmos Sound:

Whether game, video or music, enabling Dolby Atmos sound will greatly enhance the audio quality. If your phone supports Dolby Atmos, you can turn this feature on to enjoy better quality sounds.

To enable Dolby Atmos sound on an Android phone:

Settings >Sounds and vibration>Dolby Atmos

Tap Sound quality and effects on the following screen.

Now, you'll get to know the difference the technology makes whether you're using headphones or your phone's built-in stereo speakers.

If your phone doesn’t have that setting but your phone supports Dolby Atmos, you can download a Dolby Atmos app from the Google Play Store, such as Dolby Atmos or ViPER4Android.

    Install and open the app.

    Follow the app's instructions to enable Dolby Atmos sound. This may involve adjusting settings or downloading additional files.

Note: Not all Android devices have built-in support for Dolby Atmos sound. Some devices may require additional hardware or rooting to enable the feature.

30: Overclock the Phone CPU: If you are areal mobile gaming enthusiast, overclocking the CPU lets you extract more power out of the same processor resulting in an improved gaming environment. Most of phone lets you overclock the CPU. But to do this you will need to root your phone. However, overclocking the CPU is not recommended, as it can increase the risk of device damage, stability issues, and decreased battery life.Additionally, most modern Android phones do not allow overclocking due to limitations set by the manufacturer. Attempting to modify the CPU frequency may also void the phone's warranty.

To overclock an Android phone, you need to first install a custom kernel. Then you can use an app like the popular Franco Kernel Manager to overclock your CPU. Overclocking will make your phone run hotter and shorten your battery life, but it can squeeze every drop of power out of your device.

31: Optimise battery: There are numerous apps available that can help you to monitor the battery performance and optimise that. AccuBattery is one of the best apps enabling you to detect the discharge speed and battery consumption by analyzing the app usage times and usage patterns. You can use the charge alarm to prolong battery lifespan. Check how much wear your battery sustains with each charge session and the discharge speed and battery consumption per app. The app also features a Dark theme to save energy.

32: Limit screen time: We do understand the risk of using screen for longer time, but unable to limit the usage. App Detoxlets you to create rules to limit access to certain apps. You can schedule the access as well as can create time-based limitations. There is one interesting option that requires to you walk to earn screen time.

33: Complete rundown of your mobile’s hardware:

Using the Phone Check and Test app you can get complete rundown of your phone's hardware. It can help you to check –

• Low memory check and suggestions
• Battery check and charging socket test
• Wi-Fi and radio check
• Audio tests for speakers, microphones, headphone jack, and volume buttons
• Display tests, such as dead pixels and color consistency
• GPS tracking and location testing
• Thermal stress
• CPU, memory, and storage stress checks

This monitoring app also has the Guided Test menu enabling you to run a series of tests. Head down the list and select the checks and tests you want.

34: Lightest sleep tracker: Usually we setup an alarm when we want to wakeup, but it might possible at that point of time you are into your deep sleep. The app “Sleep Cycle: Sleep Tracker” uses your phone’s microphone and accelerometer (the thing that detects when your phone is moving) to track your sleep through sound and movement. This way it tracks your lightest sleep phase near to your alarm time and wakes you up.

35: Shooting, editing and sharing:

Though default camera apps are becoming more powerful yet VSCO stands out of the crowd. The app takes your photography to the next level. It comes with 10 free VSCO presets. You can easily import and edit your RAW photos. It has numerous editing tools like Contrast and Saturation to make your photos pop or use Grain and Fade to add texture and mimic analog film effects.

Transform your videos on mobile with the same premium VSCO presets and advanced editing tools from our photo editor. Adjust white balance and experiment with color control with HSL.

36: capture voice notes: Whether you are a student or professional, capturing notes could be a challenge. Otter: Transcribe Voice Notes app lets you do that with ease. You can record and transcribe conversations and meetings. It helps to record and take meeting notes in real time, so you can stay focused on the conversation and rest assured.

37: Organise your and your team’s tasks: Handling different projects, don’t worry “Trello: Manage Team Projects” app help you in organising each with ease. The app let you create boards for different projects and separate sharable lists within your team. Each task goes on a separate card, so you can mangeprojects, organize tasks, and build team collaboration—all in one place.

38: Save for later:

How many times your missed an interesting video, blog or news just because you have to leave for office or for any other important task? It happens with most of us. Using the “Pocket” app you wont miss anything in the future. You can capture the content that comes at you all day long, and curate your own space filled with only the topics you care about.

39: Be fit and healthy: Yoga practice is best for your overall fitness and health. Yoga Studio lets you practice different yoga poses from the comfort of your own home. It comes with beautiful and easy-to-follow HD VIDEO yoga classes complete with full teacher commentary. Learn and practice with beginner, intermediate and advanced classes or if you want something different, try creating your own custom class poses by pose with our sequencing tool!

40: Reduce anxiety, prioritize your health:

We all are trapped in some or the other kind of stress. Be it personal or professional, it is harming our sleep increasing anxiety and many more. You need to be relaxed and here “Calm” can help. The app has various meditation session to manage stress, balance moods, and enhance your sleep along with attention.