Whenever you lastly improve to a new Android cellphone, it isn’t the tip of the journey — it is the start. The beauty of the greatest Android telephones is that they are extremely customizable. You possibly can change virtually the whole lot to match your preferences, take away undesirable apps, and make your system higher for productiveness.
And particularly as now we have tons of Black Friday offers on telephones, you would possibly get your fingers on a model new one and never know the place to start out along with your new cellphone.
It is easy to really feel overwhelmed by all of the choices accessible in Android 15, and that is why we have created this information, highlighting 10 issues to do first as you get began.
Whether or not you are upgrading to a brand new Android cellphone from an older system or an iPhone, these are the highest issues to do to make this new system your individual. Whereas each Android producer affords barely totally different choices and settings, the gadgets included right here ought to apply to most (if not all) gadgets. Let’s get began.
1. Uninstall undesirable apps
An unlucky a part of proudly owning an Android cellphone is coping with bloatware, which is solely a time period use to check with all of the undesirable or unneeded apps which are pre-installed in your smartphone. Your cellphone producer might embrace bloatware apps; Samsung telephones typically ship with duplicate apps (like Samsung Messages and Google Messages) and cell video games pre-installed. Moreover, your mobile service might pre-install apps in your cellphone, often all in their very own folder — AT&T is infamous for doing this.
Pointless apps can decelerate your cellphone and take up helpful space for storing. A few of them are glorified commercials, plain and easy. To take away all of them, open the Settings app in your Android cellphone and faucet the Apps tab. This can convey up your whole apps listing, and you’ll choose each to Delete or Disable them individually. Word that some apps cannot be deleted, and might solely be disabled.
2. Customise your Fast Settings
If you wish to excel at utilizing your new Android cellphone, you may must know learn how to use Fast Settings. That is the title for the gathering of fast toggles and shortcuts that turn out to be accessible whenever you swipe down from the highest of your display screen. These toggles are organized in a default order and span two pages, however it’s a good suggestion to reorder them to match your particular wants. To take action, open the Fast Settings web page and faucet the pencil icon. Right here, you possibly can edit your Fast Settings to make it extra helpful to you.
3. Select between gesture or button navigation
The brand new Android debate: three-button navigation or gesture navigation? Although many longtime Android followers nonetheless have an affinity with three-button navigation, which provides a persistent again button, residence button, and app switcher button, most individuals have moved to gesture navigation. This makes it a well-liked selection, as you possibly can swipe to regulate your cellphone with out sacrificing display screen actual property. Whichever you like, you possibly can choose it by navigating to Settings > Show > Navigation mode.
4. Select a customized launcher (or persist with the default)
Now that inventory Android skins are mature, third-party launchers aren’t as standard as they as soon as had been. Nonetheless, one of many perks of utilizing an Android cellphone is the power to switch or tweak your launcher. To take action, obtain a launcher from the Google Play retailer and make it your default launcher app in settings. Or, you possibly can modify your default launcher, like by tweaking the At a Look widget in Pixel Launcher.
5. Get began with Digital Wellbeing
Trying to curb your display screen time? Give Digital Wellbeing a attempt. It is a suite of Android options that may enable you to keep within the second and enhance your mindfulness. You possibly can arrange a Focus mode to tune out undesirable notifications, set display screen closing dates or get “nudges” whenever you’re utilizing an app for too lengthy, or use Heads As much as be reminded about security when utilizing your cellphone whereas strolling. Nonetheless you employ Digital Wellbeing, it is a good suggestion to discover its options earlier than letting your Android cellphone’s display screen time get out of hand.
6. Customise your always-on show settings
Lots of the greatest Android telephones embrace an always-on show mode, which exhibits key data — like time, date, and notification badges — on the lock display screen when it is turned off. The precise choices accessible will rely in your cellphone’s OEM, however there are often methods to tweak your always-on show. For starters, all Android cellphone makers with an AOD choice will allow you to flip it off, which can assist save battery. In any other case, you possibly can set AOD schedules and decide what seems in your lock display screen in your show settings menu.
7. Arrange auto-deletion for OTPs
In case your Android cellphone has Google Message set as its default SMS app, there is a helpful characteristic it is best to allow. (If Google Messages is not the default, you possibly can set up it manually from the Google Play Retailer and set it because the default SMS app in Settings). It’s going to mechanically delete one-time passcodes after 24 hours, and it will assist hold your chats organized.
One-time passcodes are, because the title suggests, solely good for one-time use. They’re ineffective after a couple of minutes, and that is why Google Messages can delete them for you mechanically. Flipping this toggle in Google Messages settings is a must-do trick for any new Android person.
8. Begin utilizing Emergency SOS and add your medical data
Android is stuffed with essential well being and security options, like Emergency SOS and Medical data. These will enable you to get assist in the case of an emergency, and supply first responders with essential details about you and your well being. These will all be situated within the Security & emergency tab of inventory Android.
From there, you will note a handful of choices which are price exploring, together with Medical data. These are instruments you hope by no means should be used, however could possibly be invaluable in case you ever want them.
9. Replace your cellphone and obtain apps
After you’ve got accomplished the preliminary setup course of, it is time to replace your software program. Most new Android telephones will not arrive with Android 15 out of the field, so that they’ll want an replace. Navigate to Settings > Software program replace to test if there is a newer software program model accessible, and observe the on-screen prompts to finish the replace. Relying in your smartphone, you’ll have already up to date to Android 15 throughout the preliminary setup course of.
As soon as that is completed, you possibly can log into the Google Play Retailer along with your Google account and obtain all of your previously-installed apps to your new system.
10. Hyperlink your cellphone to a PC with Microsoft Telephone Hyperlink
We speak loads in regards to the integration between iPhones and Macs within the Apple ecosystem, however we do not speak sufficient in regards to the integration between Android telephones and Home windows PCs. That is proper — you possibly can hyperlink your new Android cellphone to your pc to ship and obtain texts out of your PC, make calls, share pictures and information, mirror and remotely management your cellphone, and rather more. It is all completed through the Microsoft Telephone Hyperlink app on Home windows 11 and the Hyperlink to Home windows app on Android. It is actually price taking a couple of minutes to arrange, and now we have a full information explaining how right here.
Now, it is best to have a great place to begin to start utilizing your new Android cellphone. What’s subsequent? For those who’re nonetheless itching to attempt extra issues, we advocate diving into your cellphone’s settings menu. We wager there shall be a bunch of choices there that you just most likely did not even know existed. After that, scour the Google Play Retailer for the greatest Android apps.
The perfect Android cellphone you should purchase
If this listing impressed you to get a brand new Android cellphone, the Pixel 9 Professional is a superb selection. It has unbelievable show and digicam {hardware}, the Tensor G4 processor, and a ton of AI options.
