Android Phone Tips and Tricks

We're all about sharing helpful information to get the most benefit out of the technology you use on a daily basis. Today, we want to focus specifically on Android tips and tricks.
We asked loyal Android fans Tim Clark, an independent software developer in Macomb Township, MI, and stay-at-home mom Melissa Louise of Commerce, MI, about the features on their Android smartphones that make their lives a bit easier.

1.       Make a portable hotspot anywhere. Turn your Android Phone   into a mobile WiFi personal hotspot for other devices. Go to Settings > Tethering & Hotspot > Enable the hotspot feature. Your phone will share its connection with nearby devices. Louise said she and her loved ones thrive on it when visiting relatives who live in remote, heavily-wooded areas.

2.       Do good while sawing logs. Good guy Clark likes to do good work even while he’s sleeping. PowerSleep, exclusive to Samsung smartphones, is a processor-sharing application. When he’s sleeping, Clark donates his phone’s processor time to the University of Vienna. A supercomputer project there called Similarity Matrix of Proteins (SIMAP) works to find cures for disease. “Each night, while I sleep and the phone is charged, PowerSleep runs algorithms to decode proteins for that project,” Clark said. The program focuses on finding a cure for cancer. When connected to WiFi it is free.

3.       Tasker does what? Tasker is the jewel of Android that makes your smartphone not just smart, but practically genius. Did you know it will read your text messages out loud if moving above 25 miles per hour and connected to your own car’s Bluetooth?

4.       Launcher Apps. Also known as home screen replacements, this gives ultimate freedom to customize your entire home screen (similar to how MySpace use to let users design their own colorful profile page while Facebook restricts us to a white background). Nova Launcher is free and filled with options for colorful or easier to use home screens.

5.       If you need to be impressed further, try this: The app Files Drag & Drop lets you drag files from your computer and drop them right into your Android smartphone through WiFi – without needing a USB cord connecting the two.

If you want to learn more Android tips and tricks, as well as how-to information about all other Verizon products, check out one of our free Wireless Workshops at a store in your area.