Apple had a headstart in the smartphone era, but Android quickly caught up and is now the most popular computing platform in the world—larger than iOS, of course, but also surpassing Windows and macOS. Android is powerful, but sometimes it can all get a bit confusing. Google is always making tweaks and coming up with new features for Android, and OEMs like Samsung and OnePlus can add their own stuff on top of that. It can be hard to keep up, so we've gathered the 25 best tips for your Android phone right here.
Configure Your Lock Screen
Android phones all offer various forms of secure lock screens. Most phones will prompt you to do this during setup now, and you should. The defaults are PIN, pattern, and password. Most devices now offer fingerprint security, which is probably the fastest way to unlock your device. To control your lock screen, head to the system settings, and find the Security menu. Some phones have a separate lock screen menu instead. You will need a secure lock screen to use features like Google Pay and factory reset protection. Keep in mind some phones will offer face unlock as an option, but virtually no current phones can do that safely—they just use the selfie camera. However, Google's latest Pixels can do face unlock with the camera in a secure way. That's the exception to the rule.
Disable/Uninstall Bloatware
Most phones come with some apps pre-installed that you won't want to keep around. Luckily, they can be dealt with these days. Some pre-installed bloat can be uninstalled normally by using the Play Store or finding it in the app settings menu. However, anything that's part of the system image is non-removable. You can disable it by opening the app menu from the main system settings and finding the app in your list. One of the buttons will read "Disable." Tapping that removes the app from your app drawer and prevents it from running in the background. It'll still take up a little storage space but won't accumulate more data.
Find Your Phone
We have all occasionally lost track of a phone. Maybe it was hiding in the couch cushions or sitting on the kitchen counter. Don't go crazy looking for your phone next time; just use Google's "Find my device" tool (previously known as Android Device Manager). You can access this via the web on a mobile device or computer. Simply log into your Google account and choose your missing phone from the drop-down menu. Google reaches out and shows you where it is. You can also ring the phone, even in silent mode. If worse comes to worst, you can remotely erase the phone to protect your data. This same feature also works to locate accessories connected to your phone, like earbuds and smartwatches.
Material You Theming
Starting in Android 12, Google implemented a revamped interface called Material You. While this colorful, adaptable theme was initially limited to Google's devices and apps, it has been expanded considerably in Android 13 and 14. Most phones now have some Material You flavor, and you should check it out. Material You can change your system theme using a color palette drawn from your wallpaper. It colors icons, widgets, buttons, QS toggles, and more. The degree of theming varies from one device maker to the next. Google's version is the most elegant and full-featured, but Samsung also leans heavily on Material You. OEMs like Motorola and OnePlus support Material You to a lesser degree.
Choose Do Not Disturb Settings
You can always turn off your ringer, but Do Not Disturb can eliminate distractions. Android's DND settings are a bit confusing. Not only do OEMs sometimes change the terminology, but the settings themselves are often buried or hidden by default. You'll find the settings for this feature in your volume pop-up when you hit the toggle or by going into the system Notification settings. In this menu, you can choose when DND is toggled on automatically, what is blocked, and if any contacts can ring through anyway. On Android 9 and later devices, Do Not Disturb also defaults to hiding your notifications. Make sure to change that setting if you still want to see what's going on in the notification shade.
Digital Wellbeing
Maybe you spend too much time on your phone sometimes, but Android has some tools to help you avoid that. The Digital Wellbeing suite (Android 9 and later) shows you what apps you've been using and for how long, and it offers ways to stop that from happening. The settings menu breaks down apps on a chart and lets you set a time limit for apps you want to cut back. The chart tracks notifications and unlocks as well. A "Wind down" mode also slowly fades the screen to grayscale as bedtime approaches.
Make Sure Your Photos Back Up Automatically
There's nothing worse than losing or breaking a phone only to realize you've also lost your digital memories. You can avoid this by opening the Google Photos app and following the prompts to enable auto-backup. The default mode is "original quality," but you can switch to "high quality," which compresses your photos slightly to save space. You get 15GB free, and that should be okay for occasional shutterbugs who are light on video and don't store a lot of data in Drive. If you shoot a lot, you'll run through that 15GB of account-level storage, but Google will happily sell you more.
'Hey Google' Voice Match
Google Assistant is at the heart of all Android phones, and you can start searching at any time just by saying, "Hey Google." This works automatically on the home screen and in the search box, but if you go into the search settings, you can get Hey Google working everywhere. In the search settings, go to Google Assistant. Just turn on the "Access with Voice Match" option, and the phone will have you say "Hey Google" (but "OK Google" also works) a few times to learn your voice. Now you can use the hotword any time. Some devices also support this when the screen is off, while others only work when the device is awake.
Try a Different Home Screen
Most Android devices have a custom UI created by the device maker (e.g., Samsung One UI). That includes the home screen. This is an important part of the experience, and the default home often isn't very powerful. Installing an alternative like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher can make your device much easier to use. You can use these apps to change the icons, assign navigation gestures, organize apps, and more. Any time you want to switch between your installed home screens, just go to Apps > Default Apps in the system settings.
Control ad targeting
Under all the Android, Chrome, and Workspace bits, Google is still an advertising company. It recently debuted the Topics API for ad targeting, which will hopefully be less intrusive than cookies. It's certainly easier to control. You can head into the system settings and enter the Google submenu to find your Ad Privacy controls. Google builds the topic list based on your activity, but you can remove anything from ad topics you don't want. There is also a toggle to prevent apps from suggesting topics. You can even block advertisers from tracking the performance of your ads.
Manage Apps on the Web Play Store
Google includes the Play Store client on Android devices, but a version of the Play Store is accessible online. This is a no-brainer for some, but not everyone thinks to use the web-based Play Store. You can do all the same things here that you do on your phone, but faster. Apps and games can be purchased and pushed over the air to Android. You can queue up multiple installs in a fraction of the time it takes on Android. If you've got more than one device on your account, you can pick where the app goes.
Notification History
Android makes it so easy to triage your notifications that sometimes you might swipe away something accidentally. If you've enabled notification history, you can always find out what that item said. For privacy reasons, this feature is disabled by default. As long as your device is secured with a lock screen option, you should be fine to enable this feature under the Notifications setting menu. Simply head into that menu anytime, and you can see recently dismissed notifications at the top. Below, notifications from the last day are broken up by app. Be aware, this feature is only available in Android 11 and later.
Swipe Input on the Keyboard
Tapping with your thumbs is okay as an input method, but most keyboard apps have swipe input, too. Give it a shot by dragging across the letters for each word. The accuracy varies by device, but you can install a different keyboard that suits you better. There's Google's Gboard, but others prefer something like SwitfKey with its plethora of settings. As long as you're not making heavy use of non-dictionary words, swipe input will probably be much faster than tapping.
Use Power-Saving Modes
All Android phones have power-saving modes of some sort—sometimes two or three. Head to the battery menu to find these settings(just Settings > Battery on most phones, but Samsung hides it under Device Care). For example, Samsung offers a regular power-saving mode that reduces screen brightness and slows the CPU, but you can also toggle on a mode that locks the device to just a few essential applications. There's always an option to enable power-saving modes automatically when the device reaches a certain battery level. This is definitely something you should set up. Having an hour or two of limited use is better than a dead phone.
System Dark Theme
A lot of apps have bright white styles. In Android 10 and later, a system-wide dark theme can toggle those apps and parts of the system UI to a nice, muted black. It's available in the display settings or, more conveniently, in the quick settings. There are also options to schedule the dark theme, so it flips on automatically every night and off in the morning. Only apps designed in accordance with the latest theme APIs will work, but that's a surprisingly large number these days.
Manage Default Apps
Many actions on Android will ask you to set a default app, but what if you decide you don't like that default anymore? Most phones have a default app settings menu in the application settings, but you can always clear out those defaults by finding your default apps in the main app settings menu. When you look at the info page for an app, there will be an option toward the bottom to view and clear the defaults. That will let you select a new default the next time you perform an action.
Configure Emergency SOS
Since Android 12, Google has placed a Safety and Emergency menu in the system settings. After getting a new phone, you should head into this menu to turn on Emergency SOS. This feature, which calls for help and shares your location with trusted contacts, could be a literal lifesaver. When activating the SOS feature, you'll choose the appropriate emergency number for your region, trusted contacts, and video recording settings. To activate, simply press the power button five times and then confirm. Your trusted contact will get SMS alerts with your location and notifications when you call emergency services or have a low battery.
Rotation Lock Button
Rotation lock can be touchy, flipping the screen around when you tilt the phone just a little too far. In Android 9 Pie and later, you can change the rotation setting to lock it in portrait mode but still have access to landscape mode. Start by disabling auto-rotate in the settings. Then, look for the rotation button in the bottom left corner of the screen the next time you turn the phone sideways. Tap that, and it locks into landscape mode until you spin the phone back. Tap the button again, and it's locked in portrait again.
Autofill Service
If you've got Android 8.0 or higher on your phone, you can avoid typing in passwords every time you log into something. Visit your input settings and open the advanced menu to enable autofill for usernames and passwords. By default, you can enable Google's autofill service, which is tied to Chrome. Samsung phones will use Samsung Pass out of the box, but you can switch to Google. Third-party apps like LastPass and Dashlane also support this feature. Just tap in a login field in virtually any app, and your autofill client can add the matching username and password.
Screencasting
Do you have a Chromecast or Android TV? If so, you can do more than stream video to it. Android devices can mirror the entire display onto your TV, and it's essentially foolproof. On stock-ish Android devices like Pixels (and a few more), there is a Cast icon in the Quick Settings. Tap that and pick an output device to start mirroring your display. On other phones, just download the Google Home app and use the screencasting feature included there -- it'll appear on the page for any supported Chromecast or smart display.
Notification Channels
Starting with Android 8.0 Oreo, Google made it easier to reduce notification noise. Apps have notification channels, so you can change how their various alerts appear (and whether they appear). To edit a notification channel, go to the app's info screen in the settings menu or long-press on a notification and tap the settings gear to see all the associated channels in the settings menu. On Android 10, you can tap the "Turn off notifications" option instead to get a pop-up with available channels. However you access the channel list, you can turn each channel on or off, change how it appears, and more.
Customize Quick Settings
The quick settings are toggles visible at the top of the notification panel and in the fully expanded quick settings UI. On most devices, you can access them by swiping down twice. Customizing these is something everyone should do when getting a new device, and the process is much more consistent than it used to be. Google added customizable quick settings in Android 7.0, and OEMs often add a few more options to this area (like Samsung, above). Just open the quick settings and hit the edit button. Then, long-press and drag to rearrange. The first few settings toggles in the list will be accessible at the top of the notification pane before opening quick settings. App developers can also add tiles that show up in the editing interface. For example, Twitter apps have tiles to start a new Tweet, and VPN apps have on/off toggles.
Use (and Remove) Factory Reset Protection
Way back in version 5.1, Android added factory reset protection, which is nice should your phone ever be stolen. The thief won't be able to reset and log into the phone without knowing your Google password. However, you might also accidentally lock the new owner out of your phone if you sell it. Factory reset protection is enabled automatically when you have a secure lock screen. Ensure you don't reset your phone less than 24 hours after changing your Google password, or you'll trigger a 72-hour anti-theft lockout. To disable reset protection for a new user to log into the phone, just turn off the secure lock screen or remove all Google accounts from the device. Enabling OEM unlocking for bootloader access will also turn off reset protection.
Sideload (Safe) Apps
The Play Store has plenty of apps, but if you want to branch out a little, there are safe ways to do that. Some popular sources include the Amazon Appstore, F-Droid, and APK Mirror. Amazon offers a fair number of paid apps for free, and F-Droid is for free and open-source software. APK Mirror re-hosts free APKs, so you don't have to wait on staged rollouts and can get old versions of software. To install, simply download the APK and open it. Your device will prompt you to enable "Unknown Sources" and link you to the necessary menu. Toggle that on, and you'll be able to finish installing. Feel free to remove the Unknown Sources access after you're done, just to be on the safe side. There will be a scary pop-up (above) when you enable unknown sources. As long as you trust the download, there's no cause for alarm.
Save Offline Maps
Google Maps includes support for saving maps offline, and while it should download local maps automatically, you can take matters into your own hands. It's not easy to find the settings, though. First, find the area you want to save offline, then tap in the search bar at the top of the screen. Close the keyboard and scroll to the bottom, and you'll see the option to download. The app will bring up an outline to indicate the area that will be downloaded and estimate how much space it will take up. The offline data will include streets, points of interest, and the ability to use turn-by-turn navigation.
And Much More…
After all of the above, you should be a pro at using Android. This is just the beginning, though. There's a lot more to discover in Android, and every device is a little different. So, don't be afraid to poke around in the deep, dark corners of the settings and see what you can find.
