When smartphones first came into market, none of us had overseen the technological revolution that will come through with them. Social Media, constant updating, Emails on Phones, Powerful Cameras or using your phones to create and edit office documents, most of us only could dream of this kind of efficiency. However, the phones became better and today, these devices are so good that we usually miss out on using many of their awesome features. Here is a list of 10 such features that you most probably knew nothing about –
You can coice search even with Locked Screen
You might have used the famous voice search option on your Android. But we sure you have never voice searched for anything when your screen is locked. Yes, some phones let you do that even when the screen is off by saying Ok Google! Only a handful of android geeks know this that some high end phones do let you voice search even when the screen if locked/off. There are two requirements for this to work – one, your phone must have a voice detection network, and two, the Ok Google search in your Google Setting should be turned always on.
You can Turn Off and Reset Your Lost Phone
So you lost your phone. Well, the trouble is real as losing it brings with it the unavoidable access that a stranger has to your personal data and information. Fortunately, Google has an awesome feature called Android Device Manager which lets you control your device remotely, meaning you can not even trace your phone, you can call it, switch it off and/or reset it to factory settings. You can activate it by going to Settings > Security > Phone Management. Access the phone through your computer when you lose it and make sure no one gets through your data.
You Can Get Your Own Dark Theme
Like the darker side? Create your own dark theme simply. Go to Settings and under the Accessibility option click inverted rendering. Voila! You get your own dark theme even when Android Marshmallow won’t let you. The theme is perfect for reading at night or in bright light with only downside being the appearance of the app icons.You can Access Your Chrome Tabs from All Your Devices
By using Chrome on all your devices and having your Gmail synced in, you can make sure you have all your recent tabs, bookmarks and history synced into all your devices. Even the passwords for different websites can be managed and saved on Chrome to access via different devices.
You can Leave Your Contact Details on Your Lost Phone
Absent minded much? Losing stuff everyday? Leaving behind your phone on metros and restaurants? Well, this tip is pretty useful for the likes of you. You can now leave your contact details in form of a message in case you lose your phone and someone seems to find it. Go to Settings, click on Security and select the Lock Screen Message. Here you can mention your details as well as any alternate numbers to contact you on if the finder has to call you up.
Now Scan Your Documents With Ease
Who needs the huge scanner and the table to put it on when your smartphone can easily scan on one click? Agreed the quality is not as good (in fact you can not exactly do high resolution scans this way), but if you need to send that very important scan in the next 15 minutes, well what option do we have anyway. Just take a picture of the document that needs scanning and use it in .JPEG or .JPG format. Else you can use internet or google drive to convert the image to a PDF. You also have apps like Camscanner or Evernote on your disposal for this.
Transform Your Phone To a Wifi Hotspot
Wi-Fi not working? Well, no worries. You can also turn your smart phone in a hotspot sharing your mobile data with other devices. So no need for Bluetooth tethering, when you can directly go to Settings and share your connection through hotspot. You can create your phone’s WiFi connection and put a password to it. Just be sure to take good care of your mobile data consumption.
You can Use Your Phone as a Compass and Barometer
The phones today have so many sensors that the devices easily know which direction is which. They also have Barometer which you can easily use to keep a check on the weather through your android smartphone.
Download apps like Smart Compass or AndroiTS Compass to turn your phone in a compass. Getting lost will never be easy again, eh? You can also use apps like Barometer Altimeter DashClock and Barometer Monitor to keep a check on changes in atmospheric pressure.
Now Also Scan Barcodes For Information With Your Android Phone
Barcodes are linear structures found on different shopping items in your local mall or nearby stores. These lines are usually there as a specific product’s identification method. Now, you can use your phone’s camera to scan barcodes. All you need to do is download apps like Barcode Scanner and you are all set to scan the stuff you want to buy next time to compare its price online and/or check availability elsewhere.
You can Stay Active with Fitness Trackers
With a lot of sensors, your smartphone can easily keep a check on your walking or running routes, distance you covered and other activities without having to be wrapped around your wrists or sewn in your clothes.
Google Fit is one such application for this purpose, which not only can cover your energy consumption but keeps an active check on the type of activity you might be involved in with options ranging from walking, cycling to intense gym workouts.
So, technology has changed your phone into everything in one package. Now, it completely is upto you how you want to use your device to its optimum putting the about tips and tricks to best use.
