I’ve used Android for years — these are 7 buried options I want everybody would use

I’ve been writing about Android smartphones for years, so I do know plenty of the methods and hidden options that may enhance a consumer’s expertise. On the identical time, I’m continually discovering out about options that went unnoticed by me because of difficult menus and differing Android skins.

As soon as I uncover these options, although, I change into akin to a avenue preacher sharing the excellent news of Android optimization. And immediately I’m right here to share a few of the most helpful buried options I want extra individuals knew about.

You possibly can see the permissions every app has entry to in your app settings, however Android additionally has a built-in privateness dashboard that makes this data simpler to digest at a look. It highlights the permissions that apps have accessed previously 24 hours in a helpful chart. You too can see a abstract of particular permissions and which apps have accessed them over the previous day.

This dashboard has helped me revoke permissions that I’ve by accident granted previously. For instance, I noticed that X (Twitter) had a contacts permission that I didn’t keep in mind granting. It additionally flagged a number of different apps that have been accessing my contacts unnecessarily.

To entry the privateness dashboard, you possibly can go to Settings > Safety & privateness > Privateness dashboard. On Samsung’s One UI, the steps differ barely. You will have to go to Settings > Safety and privateness > Permissions utilized in final 24 hours. Nevertheless, Samsung’s model doesn’t embrace the helpful chart.

Most of the time, when somebody needs me to hook up with their residence Wi-Fi community, they provide me the title and password. However there’s a a lot easier technique to permit others to hook up with your community — sharing an simply generated QR code.

The precise course of is determined by the smartphone model you’re utilizing — some robotically present the QR code when you choose the choice to share a community in your telephone, whereas others require you to pick out it because the sharing methodology. However the primary steps are normally to go to your Wi-Fi settings and entry the present community’s sharing choices.

On Samsung Galaxy telephones, for instance, it’s worthwhile to go to Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi after which choose the cog icon subsequent to your present community. On the backside of the display, there’s a button for QR code.

To scan a QR code utilizing your gadget, additionally, you will have to go to your Wi-Fi settings and choose the scan icon. This implies you don’t have to fret about utilizing Google Lens, your telephone’s digicam, or a QR code scanning app.

I normally carry a number of telephones round with me, both as a part of opinions I’m doing, or as a result of I’m taking part in Pokémon Go. However moderately than having a SIM for every, I exploit one knowledge SIM — both in my principal telephone or in a journey router.

Nevertheless, I shortly encountered an issue with this privacy-focused strategy. My linked telephones have been treating my hotspot as an everyday Wi-Fi connection, that means that they shortly used up my restricted knowledge plan. I might set a restrict for the hotspot, however this wouldn’t clear up the difficulty of 1 telephone updating its OS whereas linked, utilizing up my entire bundle for the month.

That’s after I found the choice to arrange a metered connection. The choice makes your telephone deal with the community equally to a cellular community, limiting its knowledge utilization. Whereas this setting is notably absent on my HONOR smartphone, you possibly can set it on different units.

For instance, on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, you possibly can open the settings for a Wi-Fi community, choose the View extra dropdown, after which faucet on Metered community. Set the choice to Deal with as metered in order that your telephone treats it like a cellular community.

It’s no secret that Android is a large number of menus and settings that may change into troublesome to navigate. The power to look your settings makes it simpler to search out issues, however even then sure objects might not present up, just like the settings on your default launcher.

This mess turns into much more complicated when switching between units with completely different Android skins. For instance, my Samsung gadget has its eye consolation settings in its show settings, however my HONOR smartphone has a devoted menu for all its eye care options.

That’s why this trick is one in every of my favorites. If in case you have a sure setting in your Fast Settings — the icons positioned inside the management panel you entry when swiping down in your telephone’s display — you need to use it as a shortcut to customise and entry the function. Often, individuals simply use this to change a setting on and off, however for those who maintain down on an icon, it is going to take you to that function’s settings web page.

This implies your Do Not Disturb icon isn’t just for switching the function on and off. If you wish to regulate your schedule, for instance, you possibly can maintain down the icon to entry its settings.  Holding down on the Eye Consolation icon takes me to the web page the place I can set its heat and tweak different settings. The trick means you spend much less time misplaced in menus or looking for particular phrases.

Name me old school, however I imagine that you must have the ability to swap your telephone off along with your energy button. It’s within the title. However in recent times, that button has changed into a shortcut for Gemini. You possibly can already entry the AI instrument utilizing your voice and its wake phrase, however Google determined that one other shortcut was needed and commandeered the facility button.

When you’re like me and don’t want a bodily button for Gemini, you possibly can really change what your energy button does. This setting is buried elsewhere relying in your smartphone model. My S26 Extremely assessment unit has it below Settings > Superior options > Facet button > Lengthy press. This lets you swap it to a unique assistant or to the facility menu.

On HONOR units, the setting is inside the accessibility settings. You possibly can go to Settings > Accessibility options > Shortcuts & gestures > Press and maintain Energy button. When you’re struggling to search out the setting in your gadget, I like to recommend looking for “energy button” in your settings.

Whenever you arrange your telephone, you get a default set of Fast Settings icons which might be enabled. In case your telephone’s setup wizard didn’t take you thru any customization, the panel could also be stuffed with options you by no means use.

However you possibly can customise your Fast Settings in order that your most-used options are on the forefront. You too can uncover a bunch of recent Fast Settings relying on the apps that you’ve got put in. For instance, Dwelling Assistant provides me entry to a spread of Fast Settings shortcuts that I can configure with the service. TickTick additionally has an Add Activity tile that I can use.

To entry the customization menu for the panel, navigate to your Fast Settings and choose the pencil icon. Then choose Edit or Add Tile to pick out and alter the shortcuts out there within the Fast Settings part. You too can drag and drop the shortcuts to regulate their order within the panel.

Notifications was once a helpful technique to hold abreast of essential updates from apps, however have change into a means for firms to relentlessly power engagement. That is most insidious in relation to apps that you simply do need to obtain a number of notifications from, however which additionally ship a bunch of unimportant updates.

For instance, I need to obtain notifications for when my Uber Eats order is on its means. However I hardly ever order takeout, so notifications about specials and promotions are ineffective to me. That’s the place notification channels are available in.

Notification channels are teams of notifications on an app that may be disabled individually. So, for an app like Uber Eats, I can silence promotions whereas nonetheless getting essential supply updates. The downside is that whereas all notifications should be assigned to a channel as of Android 8, not all builders do that in good religion. I’ve discovered quite a few apps that merely have one channel and no technique to configure notifications from inside the app.

For the apps that do will let you handle your notifications, you possibly can entry their channels on the app data web page. To entry this, head to Settings > Apps > Handle apps > [App name] > Notifications. On this web page, you must see the completely different channels below Notification sort.

Samsung makes this setting further troublesome to make use of, since notification channel administration isn’t enabled by default. To allow it, first go to Settings > Notifications > Superior settings, and toggle on Handle notification classes for every app. Then, to entry the notification channels for a selected app, head to Settings > Apps > [App name] > Notifications > Notification classes. Right here you possibly can toggle the precise classes you need to allow or disable.

When you’re undecided which channel a notification belongs to, you possibly can await one to seem on your private home display. Relying in your smartphone, you both want to carry down on the notification or swipe left to entry the notification settings. This takes you to the notifications channels web page, with the corresponding class flashing.

Whereas not foolproof, it could actually go a great distance in direction of getting your notifications below management.

Android telephones don’t all the time do the very best job of surfacing essentially the most helpful methods and settings. Plus, the open-source nature of the OS signifies that every model tweaks its personal model of the software program in another way.

I really feel like I’m continually discovering new methods that optimize the best way that I exploit my telephone. I simply want Android made it simpler to entry them in order that they weren’t hidden gems.