Android’s operating system is still full of surprises. These features you may not have known about.
Your Android phone has hundreds of features that you probably ignore every day. That’s perfectly normal. We’re all busy, and many of those features don’t necessarily make your life easier.
Still, there are very handy tricks that you may not know yet. Often they are well hidden in settings or just not that well known. Here are our favorite hidden Android features.
You probably don’t know these magisterial Android features yet
Note that every Android smartphone is different, so the steps to get to these features may be slightly different on your phone. Here are the features.
#1 Split view on an Android
You really don’t need a very expensive foldable smartphone to use split-screen on Android. Want to have YouTube on one side of your screen while responding to a WhatsApp message on the other? That’s a snap. Just follow these steps:
Open your list of recently used apps. That’s those three horizontal lines to the left of the home button.
Tap the icon of the first app you want to use in split-screen mode.
Choose Open in split screen view.
Now select the other app you want to open.
Now both apps are next to each other on your screen, each with its own half. You can adjust the slider between the apps to give one app more space or move one away completely to disable split-screen.
(Image: Unsplash)
#2 Scan Wi-Fi password with a QR code
Do you still spell out your Wi-Fi password for visitors? Or do you make them look at the bottom of your router? If so, this is one of the most useful hidden features on Android ever. You can simply connect someone to your wifi by scanning a QR code on your phone. Here’s how it works:
Go to settings and choose Wi-Fi settings.
Tap your current Wi-Fi connection.
Tap Share.
A QR code appears, plus your password and a Quick Share option.
The guest can just use the Camera app to scan the QR code on your phone. It’s that easy.
#3 Live subtitles for Android
When you enable Live Subtitling, a text window appears that transcribes everything being said or sung in real time. This is ideal for the hearing impaired, but also useful if you want to follow a podcast or listen to something in English, or any other language.
To turn this feature on, press one of the volume buttons and tap the Live subtitles icon under the volume indicator. Then you will see the text appear live.
Fast drain? (Image: Unsplash)
#4 Save data at the touch of a button
You probably use power saving mode when your battery is low. But there is also a data-saving mode for when you want to save data. This is especially useful if you are only allowed to use a few GB per month.
This feature helps reduce your data usage, especially by preventing apps from using mobile data in the background. However, you can make exceptions for apps you want to update regularly, such as your email.
To use this feature, go to your mobile data settings. This usually goes like this: Settings > Network and Internet > Data saving. There you will find a switch to enable the mode for Android.
#5 Time to focus
Need to focus for a while? Focus mode allows you to temporarily disable certain apps that distract you, such as social media and games. You also don’t get notifications from the apps, so you don’t get pings that distract you.
To set this feature, go to Settings > Digital well-being > Work time. First, check the apps you find too distracting. Then you can turn Focus mode on immediately or set a schedule for certain times and days, such as during your work hours, so that you are less distracted.