12 things to do after buying a new Android

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Spend a little time, and then using your smartphone will become much more pleasant.

1. Link your smartphone to your Google account

When you turn it on for the first time, you will be greeted by a setup wizard. First of all, it will ask you to connect to your Google account. If you accidentally or intentionally skipped this step, you can later do it like this:

1. Open your smartphone settings.
2. Click Accounts, and on some devices, Users & Accounts.
3. At the bottom of the screen, click "Add account", then select its type - Google.
4. Enter your username and password.

A Google account is required in order to install applications through Google Play, receive email, sync data and contacts. In general, on Android without it, there is no way. After the smartphone connects to your account, you can proceed to further actions.

2. Update the system and applications

Even if you have a brand new smartphone, it is worth checking and installing updates. During the time that the device was on the counter, the manufacturer and developers of third-party applications probably rolled out new versions of their programs and patches for the firmware.

1. If you have a clean Android firmware, open the settings and click "System" → "Additional settings ᠎" → "System update". On some firmwares there is no “Additional settings ᠎” item - in this case, you should click “About system”.
2. A menu will open in front of you informing the status of the update. If there is a new version of the software, click "Update".

For owners of modified firmware from Samsung, Xiaomi and other manufacturers, the settings will be slightly different. You can view the update instructions for the firmware on a specific brand device in our article.

It is worth updating not only the system, but also the smartphone application.

1. Go to the Google Play store and open the side menu.
2. Click My Apps & Games.
3. If updates are available, click "Update All" and wait a bit.

3. Turn on the "Find My Device" function

Losing your smartphone is very unpleasant. Losing a new smartphone is terrible. Therefore, it is worth taking care of protecting your Android before anything happens to it. To do this, you need to enable Google's Find My Device feature.

1. Open your smartphone settings and go to "Settings" → Google → "Security".
2. Click Find My Device and make sure this feature is turned on.
3. Go to the address and check that your smartphone is displayed correctly on the map.

Google's built-in device search is very handy. But if you want to use more serious protection, pay attention to these options.

4. Set up your screen lock

Since our phones contain a lot of confidential data (personal photos, correspondence, passwords and bank records), it is imperative to protect your Android from prying strangers. First of all, set up a screen lock.

1. Open your smartphone settings.
2. Select "Security & Location" or "Lock & Security" depending on your firmware version.
3. Choose a security method - password, PIN, pattern, face scan, or fingerprint.

The main thing is to remember your password well. So that it does not happen that you cannot unlock your smartphone.

5. Activate the Smart Lock function

Screen lock is essential for security. But sometimes the need to constantly unlock the screen is annoying, especially when you are at home. And to make your life easier, you should activate the Smart Lock function. It will unlock your smartphone automatically when you are at home or if there is a trusted Bluetooth device nearby, such as your desktop computer or smart bracelet.

1. Open your smartphone settings and tap Security & Location → Smart Lock.
2. Enter your password.
3. Select the desired automatic unlock option - in safe places, next to a trusted device, or through the Ok Google passphrase.

6. Set the schedule for Do Not Disturb

Aren't you tired of manually turning off notifications on your smartphone every time before going to university, to work, or getting ready for bed? Instead of opening the shutter every time, it's better to set up a schedule and the phone will go into silent mode automatically.

This is done like this:

1. Swipe down on the screen to open the notification shade and find the Do Not Disturb button.
2. Press and hold the button until the schedule settings appear.
3. Activate the "Turn on automatically" function.
4. Click "Add" and specify at what time and on which days of the week the phone should automatically turn off notifications. You can create as many rules as you want - for example, so that silent mode turns on when you work, then turns off, and then turns back on while you sleep.
5. When finished creating the schedule, click on the checkbox in the upper right corner to save the parameters and exit the settings.

7. Turn on Ok Google command in Google Assistant

Google Voice Assistant makes life a lot easier, especially if you need to do something with your phone and your hands are busy. For example, switch the playing track or take a call. But first, you need to configure the assistant so that it always responds to the Ok Google command.

1. Open the main Google app.
2. Click the ellipsis labeled More. Select "Settings".
3. Select the "Google Assistant" option, switch to the "Assistant" tab and click "Phone".
4. Turn on Google Assistant and tap Access with Voice Match. When your smartphone asks you for a voice sample, click Next, say Ok Google four times and select Done.
5. Enable voice unlock if desired. Useful if you need to give commands to an assistant and the screen is off.

8. Enable backups of photos in Google Photos

Google Photos is a great app. Thanks to it, you can organize your photos, and the program ensures that not a single shot is lost.

1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. Click "Allow" to enable automatic upload and save of snapshots.
3. In the window that opens, select the Google account with which you want to sync the photo.
4. Choose in what quality to upload photos - for images with original quality, the space is limited by the amount of your storage in Google Drive. There is no such limitation for the High Quality option.
5. Check "Use mobile internet" if you do not care about traffic consumption.
6. Click OK.

9. Install the required applications

Lifehacker has a list of the best and most proven applications for you to install on a new gadget. Of course, you don't need to download all of them. Choose only what you need. And remember, less is better. The fewer applications you have installed, the more stable and faster Android will run. And at the same time, there will be more space for files and music.

10. Choose your default apps

When you first open a file or link, Android asks you which program to use. This is a little annoying. So after you've installed the essential programs, it's worth taking a little time to customize the default apps. Then the system will know your preferences and will not pester you with unnecessary questions.

1. Open "Settings" and go to the "Applications" section.
2. Find the item "Default Applications" (it can be in the "Advanced" section or in the menu with three dots in the upper right corner of the screen).
3. In the settings that will open, select your favorite browser, image viewer, music player and video player, a program for calls and messages, an email client and other frequently used applications.
4. When done, click on the arrow at the top of the screen to save your changes and exit.

11. Set up mobile data savings

Your mobile internet may be limited, and Android loves to waste traffic a lot. Therefore, it is worth setting up the system so that it behaves more economically.

1. Open Android settings.
2. Click "Network and Internet" → "Data Transfer".
3. Enable the Set Traffic Limit option.
4. Specify how many megabytes the smartphone can download before you are shown a notification. After reaching this limit, the mobile Internet will be disconnected.

It is also useful to restrict application updates via the mobile network. For this:

1. Go to the Google Play store.
2. Open the side menu on the left and click on "Settings".
3. Make sure the "Auto-update apps" option is set to the "Wi-Fi only" switch.

A few more ways to save mobile traffic are described in our article.

12. Customize your home screen

Setting up your home screen is pretty personal. Some Android users love to overwhelm it with widgets and prefer live wallpapers. Others follow the philosophy of minimalism and strive to keep the phone from distracting them from important things. Nevertheless, a couple of general recommendations can be made.

1. Don't create many desktops. Three will be enough. Otherwise, flipping through them in search of what you need will take a lot of time.
2. Only place apps and widgets that you use frequently on your home screen. It is better to hide any games and unimportant tools in the depths of the menu.
3. Create folders. Organize apps into categories so you can find the ones you need faster.
4. Instead of browsing the Web and manually selecting Android wallpapers, install an app that will update the backgrounds automatically. For example, Wallpaper Changer or Casualis.